Unforgivable Sinners
by Cmdr. Gabe E
Summary: Yuriko Lady Deathstrike surfaces from the Alkali Lake Base,wounded and barely alive. She finds an unconscious battered man on the shore of the lake--- Stryker. Will he be the key to her and Logan's past? What is the role of the X-Men?
1. Come sweet death

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Summary: Yuriko / Lady Deathstrike surfaces from the Alkali Lake Base, wounded and barely alive. She suddenly finds an unconscious battered figure on the shore of the lake --- the man is Col. William Stryker. Will he be the key to her past? Or will she be the key to his? What will come out of such a reunion? And what of Logan's past?  
  
Note1: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . 'nuff said !  
  
NOTE2: Since fanfiction.net has difficulty in displaying italicized words (which are supposed to be characters' unspoken thoughts), I decided to upload chapters 1 – 10 again and enclosed all unspoken thoughts in .  
  
So from now on, /"This is going to be an unspoken thought."/.  
  
I fixed some of the scene dividers too =).  
  
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CHAPTER I: Come sweet death  
  
Yuriko would do anything to make it stop. She had lost count of the times she had thrusted her sharp adamantium claws within the torso of the man Stryker called Wolverine.  
  
She cried inside as she saw him wince in agony. For he was just like her -- - both of them compelled to fight and both of them created by the man she hated the most, William Stryker.  
  
The only difference was, that she had no choice but to fight for something she never believed in. Night and day, images of her victims flashed in her head, some of them begging for mercy as she sliced and gutted the life out of them. Will she never be free of the hell that had been bestowed upon her?  
  
Her conscious mind wished nothing but death upon herself. After all, she felt as if she'd been dead anyway. Long dead. She couldn't even remember what life was like before Stryker mutilated her body and her being. Perhaps Wolverine could be the one to give her that freedom.  
  
But hope for that freedom started to drift away as her uncontrollable body continued to lash on her fallen foe. She knew victory will soon be hers and that he was going to die. That thought gave her nothing but misery and hidden tears.  
  
The cycle would never end. If she wins, she would forever live as Stryker's bringer of death. Nothing more ... Nothing less.  
  
The final blow was only a second away. She raised her claws up in the air, ready to strike him down. And in that split second, she was able to whisper something through her delicate, crimson lips.  
  
"I'm sorry... Forgive me."  
  
Yuriko's eyes suddenly opened wide with shock as she felt something cold, warm and solid pierce through her stomach. She knew it wasn't Wolverine's claw. She recognized it as something else.... She recognized it all too well, especially when the hot, liquid adamantium started to make its way into her inner organs, the thickness of it suffocating her from the inside.  
  
Perhaps wishes do come true....  
  
And at that moment they did. For a moment, she could feel, she could smell, she could taste, she could see, she could think what she wanted too. She was finally free. If only she could thank the man who had given her life.  
  
Yuriko made a last attempt to look into Wolverine's eyes. To show him that she, too, was a victim, a pawn in the game of humans vs. mutants. But it was too late. The last thing she saw was the sadness and regret in the eyes of her foe. Maybe in another life, she would meet him again, as a friend and as an equal.  
  
Then the darkness clouded her mind as pain and suffocation overwhelmed every inch of her body.  
  
........But alas, death doesn't come to soon for someone such as her........  
  
.........For Lady Deathstrike was built to perfection ........ never to die or whither away as long as time stood by her side.......  
  
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Every second seemed like forever as she lay there in the tank. Wolverine had left her there to die, but death never came. Seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes just kept on going.  
  
She was finally free from Stryker's control, free to think for herself and to live her life as she saw fit. But there she remained, like a drowning statue, waiting for a death that never came.  
  
/"Why am I still not dead?"/ She thought to herself. "I...I....should be dead by now....Dead moments ago...."  
  
She suddenly felt her entire body twitch. Then every part of her jerked like a rag doll as if she was being electrocuted under water. She threw her head back and screamed, the water clouding her voice. Her eyes stayed open for she couldn't close them. Her body was controlling itself now. No, it wasn't Stryker's mind-controlling chemical --- it was something else.  
  
She could feel her body doing something from the inside. She didn't know what it was, but it brought her great pain, as if her body is trying to regurgitate itself.  
  
The water in the tank started to boil as Yuriko's body struggled to heal itself. The heat caused her to cry out even more.  
  
/"When will my torment end?!!! Is it not enough that I have suffered so much."/  
  
Then at that moment, she felt it....She felt death creeping up her spine. The pain and the process that her body was going through was already too much to bear. If she wanted to, she could let go, let go and finally die.  
  
The one thought that lingered in her mind was FREEDOM. Freedom through death. And that chance was finally given to her for real.  
  
/"So this is the end... I will finally be able to rest. I am so tired."/  
  
Then she remembered Wolverine. She remembered how he struggled to live for his future. In her mind lingered the zeal in his eyes as he fought for his survival. Even when he knew he had no chance, he still fought --- fought like he was going to win --- fought like he would see the next sunrise.  
  
In their fight, she looked at him as an equal. Perhaps it was her time to prove that they truly are in the same path.  
  
She wanted to live.  
  
Yuriko's eyes were suddenly filled with determination as she fought against the pain that the healing process was putting her through. She clenched her fists into tight balls as her body disposed and absorbed the adamantium that had filled her from the inside.  
  
While she looked forward to her upcoming freedom, a single thought kept on running in her mind. /"Someday we'll meet again....If not now, then some time in the future....And I shall thank you personally, Logan."/  
  
The underwater base suddenly shook as water started to seep through its cracks. The dam that had served as one of the base's primary structure gave in to the natural force of the large body of water that pushed against it.  
  
A few minutes passed, and the base was nothing more but a modern day Atlantis --- A wonderful, powerful structure that was doomed to drown under the force of man and nature.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED ! 


	2. Alone to drown in his nightmare

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

Chapter 2: Alone to drown in his nightmare

Wolverine, the man he created, had left him to die.

"You will always be an animal, Wolverine. An animal!" He whispered through clenched teeth.

Colonel William Stryker hung there, like a helpless prey, as the heavy chains bound him tightly against the huge slab of concrete that Eric had chosen for his grave.

The sound of the large body of water breaking through the dam soon reached his ears, and he knew that his end would come soon.

His eyes looked up at the infinite, blue sky. He wished he could tilt his chin up and savor his last view of the world, but the chain that ran across his face inhibited him from doing so. He was trapped to drown under the icy waters that were soon going to engulf everything that took most of his life to accomplish.

He couldn't believe that the results of his hard work were all going to come crashing down.... To fade into memory as another attempt to control the mutant population of the world.

/"All that hard work for nothing!"/ He thought to himself angrily.

He thought the good guys always won. Then why was he going to die? He was the good guy. He wanted nothing but to save humanity. To make sure that no mutant would ever harm a human again. He hadn't done anything wrong. Why was he being punished?

The thoughts of his wife Karen still lingered in his mind. Plaguing him in every second of his existence. He remembered how he held her close --- how he tried to comfort her from Jason's mind games. He remembered her crying out in pain as Jason imprinted foul images into their heads.

But the time when she took her life was the moment he was never going to forget. He remembered the day when Jason came to dinner with fire and fury in his eyes. That moment was like a re-run that kept on playing in his head.

"I hate you!!!" Jason shouted, as he threw the table and everything on it across the room, causing the plates to shatter into fiery shards.

William quickly jumped towards his wife Karen to shield her from the sharp kitchen utensils that Jason directed towards them using his mutant power of telekinesis.

"Stop this, Jason!!!" William shouted as he looked at his son in the eyes.

"Who are you to tell me what to do and what not to do?!!! You're the reason why I'm like this!!!" He shouted as he started to bore dark images into his parents' brains, causing both William and Karen to cringe.

"You're the one who locked me up as a child because you thought I was a monster!!! I wanted nothing but trust from you, but you sent me to a school where you wanted them to strip a vital part of me!!!" Jason's eyes narrowed and the fire in them flared even more.

He stared into his father's cringing form, feeling neither pity nor love.

But what he didn't notice was the pain that he was causing his mother. He didn't want to hurt her. Jason's mother, Karen, loved him as a mother would love her child. And Jason loved her too. It was his father that he could not stand. It was his father who made him feel unloved.

"Jason, please stop!!!" Karen shouted as she dropped to the floor, clutching her head in her hands.

But Jason couldn't hear her. He was too concentrated into killing his father's mind.

William cried out in pain as Jason twisted every facet of his brain. Giving him living nightmares that he won't be able to wake up from.

Tears started to stream down Karen's cheeks. /"How could my sweet boy do this?"/ She thought to herself. The dark, morbid and painful images in her mind continued to grow. She could barely identify what was real anymore. Everything felt like a living hell.

Despite the fact that her body was unscathed, her mind tortured her with pain. She felt as if she was drowning, dying, disintegrating and bleeding to death all at the same time. And that was when she realized she wanted a way out.

William too, experienced the same torment, but Karen's willingness to reach out to her son's mind made her receive the punishment ten times more --- the punishment that wasn't supposed to be hers.

The last memory that William had of Karen was her crawling towards their utility closet.

She took out a power drill.... And struggled to plug it in, tears streaming down her cheeks as she did. There was too much pain. She wanted it all to stop.

He tried to reach out to her, but it was too late. With his hand just a couple of inches away from her, she bore the power drill into her head.

William saw every second of it, as if it was a vivid dream. He saw how the drill went into her skull, how the blood from her head splattered all over him, from his hand to his clothes and his glasses. He remembered how her head vibrated as the drill went into it, how her eyes were blood shot as she fell on the floor all bloody and dead. He loved her. He loved her more than he ever loved his son, and his son killed her. All his dreams of spending his life with her drifted away like a memory long forgotten.

But after that, the pain stopped. Jason stopped. And everything stood still. That's when he saw his son all helpless and submissive. He knew how Jason loved Karen too. And he was going to use Jason's weakness to his advantage even if it meant that he had to lobotomize him for his own means.

William submissively leaned against the slab of concrete that uncomfortably pressed against his back. He had tried fidgeting out of the chains before, but the ones that held him by the neck didn't give him a single chance to escape.

He could hear the water rumbling towards him --- The sound of his impending death drawing closer and closer. Soon he will drown together with what he had built, like a captain with his ship.

A name escaped his lips and the water swallowed him into its depths.

The X-Men mourned for the loss of their beloved Jean and left Alkali Lake soon after. It is doubtful that they would ever visit the place again. It would bring nothing but bad memories, especially that of a dead loved-one.

Scott said that both sides suffered great losses, and that is true. But for Wolverine, it's as if he had lost something more. He knew he had given up his past when he refused to rescue the man who had made him, but he still remembered Stryker and Lady Deathstrike --- two figures that will be forever lost, together with his past, and his identity.

Yuriko's head suddenly surfaced from the icy lake as she gasped for air. It was one of those moments wherein she was relieved that her mutant powers were enhanced by Stryker's work. Without her advanced healing abilities, near-perfect stamina and agility, and improved strength, she wouldn't have made it out of the sunken base alive.

TO BE CONTINUED.........


	3. Fate's twisted reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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CHAPTER III: Fate's twisted reunion  
  
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Yuriko quickly looked around for the nearest shore. The damages she incurred during her fight with Wolverine and her struggle with the liquid adamantium had made her very weak and exhausted. It looks like not even she, the previously renowned Lady Deathstrike, could come out from such injuries unscathed.  
  
She immediately swam towards the right side of the lake. The shore was still a mile or two away, but the thought of freedom and fresh air lingered in her mind. The sooner she gets to the shore, the sooner she would be free to stand and walk on her own to feet.  
  
But if there was something she needed at the moment, it was rest. Despite the fact that her body was built for the harshest fighting conditions, it still needed rest to ensure the full regeneration of her body's cells and tissues.  
  
Yuriko kicked and paddled against the lake's waves. Frequent smiles appeared on her lips in between her heavy breaths as she got closer and closer to the shore.  
  
After a while, she finally felt her feet touch the snowy earth. She fell on her knees and slowly crawled further onto the land, away from the icy waters. She had never felt that exhausted and weak before.  
  
Then she realized another effect of the drug Stryker used on her. The drug not only made her submissive to Stryker's commands, but it prevented her from feeling fatigue, hunger and other feelings that naturally come from an overworked body.  
  
She remembered the days wherein she would go on a full week without her body feeling tired, though her mind cried in pain and exhaustion. Those thoughts made her shiver.  
  
/"I am free now....No more nightmares..."/ She thought to herself comfortingly.  
  
She looked around the shore for other signs of life, but found none. She wasn't sure if the X-Men escaped, or if Wolverine escaped, but somehow she knew they did. Oh how she wished she could have fought alongside them from the beginning.  
  
But everything had already been said and done. The battle had been won by the X-Men. As for her, she was finally free ... Free, tired and ALONE.  
  
The word 'alone' echoed in her mind as exhaustion took over her body. Her eyes slowly closed and her body fell forward towards the snowy earth.  
  
But before she could fall into a deep slumber....  
  
/"Wait!"/ She suddenly thought to herself. Her eyes opened wide and she got on her knees, brushing off some of the snow as she did. She slowly got on her feet, pushing herself to stand despite the painful aching sensation in her entire body.  
  
Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a dark figure lying by the shore a couple of miles from where she was standing. She couldn't tell who it was, but it seemed like a man.  
  
"At least now I have the freedom to do what's right. To do what I want for a change." She muttered to herself proudly. She massaged the back of her neck real quick and then made her way to the unconscious stranger.  
  
Yuriko's pace gradually slowed down as she got closer to the unconscious man. Looking at him made her feel uneasy.... And she didn't like how familiar he looked. There was something about his figure that made her stomach churn. There was something about the unconscious man that made her want to turn away and run.  
  
Then she knew that running wasn't going to be an option anymore. She stopped right next to the unconscious figure, her tall physique towering over the burly man who lay face down on the snow before her. She couldn't see his face, but somehow, she knew who he was.  
  
The man wore a black turtleneck shirt and military pants. He had no shoes on, nor socks. A small pool of blood coming from his body soaked the snow by his right rib and his head.  
  
Yes. She knew him all too well. She didn't even need to see his face to know that it was the man who enslaved her --- The man who took away her past just so that she could endlessly kill for him. He was the man who made her into a puppet. A puppet whose life slowly wilted away as it sinned day by day. He was none other than William Stryker.  
  
Just looking at his limping form made her want to protrude her claws and rip him into tiny, bloody pieces. That was how much she hated him. And if it was up to her, she would send him to hell herself.  
  
She looked at Stryker's form again. She wasn't actually sure if he was still alive. It looked like he had gone through a nasty beating. Wolverine probably caught up with him after their fight. Aside from that, he might have already drowned even before washing up onto the shore. Perhaps she's already looking at a dead man --- A dead man who had died together with the secrets of her past before the Deathstrike project.  
  
"They say curiosity kills a cat. Well, there's only one way to find out of that saying is true." She mumbled in a low voice.  
  
It would pain her to once again look at the face of the man who had enslaved her, but she had to know if he was still alive. Because if he was, then maybe she would know who she was before she became Lady Deathstrike.  
  
Her mind was saying 'no', but she had to find out. She must find out who she was. He was the only key to her past, like he was to Wolverine.  
  
Yuriko got onto her knees beside Stryker's battered form. She swallowed nervously and slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. The shirt he was wearing was cold when it came in contact with her skin. But when her hand pressed harder against him, she felt the warmth of his shoulder through his apparel.  
  
She quickly pulled her hand away, as she looked at his unconscious form with fearful eyes.  
  
/"He's alive. No..."/  
  
Mixed emotions lingered within her as she looked at the hand that touched him. A while ago, she wanted him to be alive. That was the only way she would know who she was. And yet, the thought about that monster being alive sent shivers up her spine. For so long she had wanted him dead. And now that he was defenseless, ready to be slaughtered, she started to have her doubts.  
  
/"Run away now, Yuriko. It doesn't matter if the only thing you can remember is your name and your suffering. You have your future ahead of you now. You do not need the past anymore. You have your freedom. You have Logan."/  
  
But her curiosity got the best of her. She quickly grabbed Stryker by the shoulder, and pulled him so that he would be lying on his back. His limp form did nothing but move with the force of her strong pull.  
  
Once again she was looking at the face of the man she abhorred. Seeing his face made her want to cry. He looked as good as dead as he lay in front of her. There was snow scattered all over his face, his hair, his clothes. She knew she could end it now. End his life now with one blow. To see him alive again was just not worth her past.  
  
"I'm sorry, William. But I do not need my past anymore. Unlike you, I want to leave my past behind and move on to the future. Goodbye, old friend." She whispered in a sarcastic tone.  
  
An angered look formed on her face as she extended her adamantium claws. She was finally going to give justice where justice is due.  
  
She raised her armed hand above his neck and breathed in deeply. In one swift motion, she moved her claws towards his neck to strike her final blow.  
  
But before her claws could touch him, his eyes suddenly opened.  
  
Yuriko's claws hovered a centimeter above his neck. His cold, blue eyes looked at her. And she stared back. She couldn't hold back the fear that was showing in her eyes. She feared him so much that she couldn't even kill him now that he was conscious.  
  
/"Kill him, Yuriko! Kill him before he kills you again!"/ She thought to herself.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED  
  
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	4. Both pasts forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . 'nuff said !  
  
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First of all, thank you so much for those who reviewed the first 3 chapters of the story !  
  
White Hart, Capt. O'Hagan, Camille, Hell Jumper   
  
It's GREAT to know that you like what's going on in the story so far ! Most readers aren't really into Yuriko nor Stryker, so it's wonderful whenever I receive reviews for this fic ! THANKS AGAIN  
  
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CHAPTER IV: Both pasts forgotten  
  
She was expecting him to make a move. Or say something that would trigger any remnants of the slave chemical that still lingered in her system.  
  
But the monster just laid there looking at her. He slowly blinked once, and then blinked the second time, as if he couldn't understand what he was seeing. She saw nothing in his eyes. He seemed like a blank piece of slate. Still, she held her claw close to his neck just in case.  
  
Then his lips started to move.  
  
"You..... I...know you....." He muttered. He paused for a while and continued to look at Yuriko. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes stared at her. "You...."  
  
He squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was confused with something he couldn't remember.  
  
Then he looked at her again. This time, his eyes traveled down to the sharp adamantium claws that were ready to strike if needed. He swallowed and once again focused on her face.  
  
"Are you....going to kill me?". He whispered in a scared tone as he slowly moved his neck further away from the tip of her claws.  
  
Yuriko's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she questioned Stryker's disturbing passiveness. She couldn't understand why he would ask such a question. It just didn't seem like him. Something about his behavior disturbed her, and she didn't like it one bit. She would never let him manipulate her again.  
  
Her eyes were suddenly filled with fury as her unarmed hand grabbed Stryker's shirt by the chest, jerking him towards her.  
  
"If the need would arise, I WILL kill you!!! I WILL kill you without any second thoughts and you're lucky if I don't make you suffer before I do!"  
  
Stryker winced in pain as Yuriko tugged him towards her. The mixed painful sensations all over his body already inhibited him from moving, nor thinking straight. And the force of her pull just tripled the pain he was feeling on his torso. With all his energy, he gripped her wrist tightly in an effort to loosen her hold on his shirt. But he just felt her pull on him harder, causing his head to jerk back from the force.  
  
"Let me go!" He shouted through gritted teeth. His eyes closed shut from the pain around his neck. He could feel his chest heaving up and down as he fought the tightness there. It seemed as if Eric had bound him too tightly against the slab of concrete that was supposed to be his vertical coffin.  
  
"Let you go?!!!" She tugged harder at his shirt. Her fiery eyes stared deeper into his. "How dare you beg for freedom after what you've done to me?!!! For years I've seen nothing but death. You kept me in my little cage as your prized possession. You treated me as nothing but a mere object of your work." She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes as she looked at the man who had made her into Lady Deathstrike.  
  
"For Years and years I have suffered under you. And you gave me neither a second of relief nor a moment's peace. You couldn't even give me death even when you knew I wanted to escape from my life. And now...NOW you ask for freedom?! Who are you to ask such from me?!!"  
  
Stryker, with his mouth half open, just looked at her.  
  
"I --- I don't even know what you're talking about!!!" He asked as his eyebrows furrowed. His lips slightly shook with fear at the sight of the enraged young woman. "I --- I don't know --- anything!!!"  
  
"What do you mean you don't know?!!!" Yuriko, angrier than before, shoved Stryker back on the snowy ground. The impact of her fist on his chest caused him to gasp in pain.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about!!! You know very well, William!!! Don't play innocent with me! I've had enough of your games! And I've had enough of you!" She leaned closer to him and pressed the tip of her claw on his neck.  
  
Stryker breathed fast and hard as he laid on the cold snow, waiting for his impending death. He could feel her sharp claw almost piercing through his skin. With his face lifted, he tried to catch another glimpse of the woman who was trying to kill him.  
  
From the corner of his eye he saw her again. The rage on her face was a sure sign that she was going to kill him without a second thought.  
  
But then, as he looked at her, at his attacker, he couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. There was something about her that affected him. There was something in her anger that brought out her sadness.  
  
He couldn't even understand why he felt for her. He didn't even know who she was. But somehow, he felt that he should, especially whenever she called him William.  
  
Yuriko clenched her teeth as she braced herself to kill Stryker.  
  
"You called me William!!!" He suddenly shouted out loud. He tried hard to hold back his fear in hopes of communicating with the girl at her state of mind.  
  
"Because that's your name, devil!!! William Stryker." She shouted back at him. Her hand stopped before she could pierce through his neck.  
  
"William Stryker....." He whispered. That name made his stomach churn. It was as if he wasn't sure if he liked hearing it or not.  
  
Something was wrong, and he knew it. Even with Yuriko's claw against his neck, he tried to relax --- tried to loosen up. He knew that he wouldn't be able to find out what was wrong if he only thought of nothing but escape.  
  
For the last minutes of his life, the only thing he could remember was immense pain. But before that....  
  
"Before that...." He whispered, as he closed his eyes.  
  
Yuriko was suddenly taken aback by Striker's sudden change in nature. She looked at him curiously, with her claw still against his skin.  
  
"Before that......" He whispered again gently.  
  
Then flashes of water came running into his head. Flashes of light started to pour into his memory. Water everywhere, something tight and heavy pulling him down. He remembered trying to struggle against the --- chains. But the force of the water tried to pull him down. The water tried to drown him. He was drowning. He thought he was going to die.  
  
He remembered calling out someone's name, but couldn't remember what the name was. He felt the chain around him loosen for a second, and the last thing he remembered was something hard hitting him on the head.  
  
Then everything was dry, and cold, and he saw her. She seemed like the first face he'd seen in his lifetime. She didn't bring him comfort, but the sight of her brought him a sense of familiarity.  
  
"But before that..." He muttered again.  
  
Before the water, the chains, the pain, there was nothing. And yet he knew what water is, what chains are, what the sky looks like, what pain feels like. He knew how to breathe, and tell north from south.  
  
He didn't like the feeling of emptiness in his mind. It made him feel empty and unimportant. It made him feel as if he was nothing.  
  
He slowly opened his eyes. A look of exhaustion could clearly be seen on his face. From the corner of his eyes he looked at her again.  
  
"Who am I?" He asked desperately. He didn't even know who he was anymore. But the girl in front of her does. And she seemed to hate him with the entirety of her soul.  
  
Yuriko was starting to get frustrated. She didn't know what to think. She had never seen Stryker act in such a way before. There were times in their missions when he would get injured, almost near death, and yet he would strive with the same air of arrogance and pride about him.  
  
As she looked into his eyes, she felt as if she was looking at Stryker, and yet at the same time, felt as if she was looking at someone else. Even the way he talked was different.  
  
But wasting her time on Stryker's own version of "memory loss" would get her no where. She agreed on one thing after her escape from death. She agreed to leave her past behind. Perhaps should would meet up with the X- Men again and join them this time around.  
  
That thought made her smile.  
  
If Stryker really didn't know who he was, then she knew he wasn't going to be a threat anymore. She knew he would forever wander in his own sorrow, to someday discover the horrifying man that he was before. She could kill him right at that moment, but there was no need of that now. She would just leave him there, like the past she had never known.  
  
Yuriko's face turned blank as she pulled her hands away from Stryker. She stood up and towered over him like a proud woman who had just triumphed over her adversary.  
  
Stryker sighed with relief and looked up at her tall form. The streams of sunlight that shone around her face caused his eyes to narrow.  
  
She looked down at him with a cold, uncaring look on her face.  
  
"Goodbye." She said. Yuriko then walked away towards the forest.  
  
Every step and every breath brought her closer to freedom. She felt as if she had lived in Alkali Lake all her life. But then, that was the only life she ever had.  
  
She knew the surrounding area like the back of her hand: Beyond the forest was a highway that could take her anywhere she wanted. She knew the places she could stay in, the routes to take, the right people to talk to, the way to the professor's school. She could probably even use some of the connections she made during Stryker's missions to go places. She was finally alive.  
  
She was about to enter the forest and disappear forever from her nightmare, but something in her gut made her look around to see the man who used her, one last time.  
  
After she left him, he just stayed there on the snow. He continued to lie there on the cold ground. He stared at the sky with an expressionless face. Even the pain pounding at his body didn't affect him anymore. It was as if nothing else mattered. He didn't even know where he was nor why he was there.  
  
Maybe he would have been better off dead. Then all the confusion would have ended.  
  
/"What is life if you are suddenly brought into the world without an objective? Without meaning? Without identity?" / He thought to himself.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED!!!!  
  
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Please review ! Thanks!!! 


	5. The choices that we make

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Hell Jumper = Thank you so much for the review ! Great to see you're still around o! I hope you like this next chapter !  
  
Ebony = I just love Yuriko and Stryker's character ! They just didn't give them enough background in the movie. That's why I'm hoping to explore more of who they truly are in this fanfic ! I also like how Logan, Stryker and Yuriko are connected to each other --- and I'll probably explore that "connection" too !  
  
Peets96 = Yuriko is definitely alive in this one !!! Thanks for the review :D!!!! Well, here's what's going to happen next....  
  
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CHAPTER V: The choices that we make  
  
He was nothingness --- just like the clear sky above him. Perhaps that would be the best way to describe him --- nothing. He couldn't justify nor remember his existence, nor his past. His life was a void that he could never fill and understand.  
  
Stryker closed his eyes and felt the cool chill of the wind against his battered body.  
  
"I'm being punished." He whispered weakly. He didn't know why he would think of such a thing. Perhaps he didn't think it. Maybe he felt it. Looking into the eyes of the angry young woman who threatened to kill him a while ago made him feel that.  
  
He remembered how she kept on going on and on about the pain and torture that she went through under him. He remembered the way she looked into his eyes. He remembered each and every word spoken from her lips. She was angry at him....She wanted to kill him.  
  
/"Why?"/ Stryker's hand gently crushed the snow that brushed against his palm.  
  
The young woman knew him.  
  
/"Who is she?"/  
  
He could clearly recall the anger in her voice, the pain in her face, the sorrow in her eyes. Hearing her felt like a long lost memory. But that memory was something he didn't have anymore. Though he knew one person who still did.  
  
/"She called me William......"/  
  
She knew his name, though try as hard as he could, he couldn't remember hers.  
  
He wouldn't ever want to cross paths with her again. To see her would be to stare death in the eyes. But she was the only one who had the key to who he is --- who he was --- or who he could be. So he had to take the risk. He had no other choice. After all, he had nothing to lose. Nothing.  
  
Stryker opened his eyes and struggled to get up, his aching legs making it difficult for him to do so. He stumbled for a few steps before he could completely get into a stable standing position.  
  
The pain riding up the muscles in his left shin made him wince in agony.  
  
/"Must have torn a muscle..."/  
  
He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with cool air. Even breathing hurt. His body was probably in its worst, but he knew he had to get moving. Lying there in the snow would do him no good.  
  
He brushed some of the snow off his sweater and looked around for any signs of the woman's presence. He couldn't help but blink a couple of times as he surveyed the area around him. Everything looked blurry. He could see the shapes and outlines of the trees, the river, and the snow-covered mountains, but they all looked like one big blur.  
  
He quickly rubbed his eyes in hopes of regaining a perfect vision, but everything still looked blurry.....As if he needed.....  
  
/"Glasses. Eye glasses."/  
  
His hand went up to his face, running over his eyes, where the glasses were supposed to be. He could see his hand perfectly, but everything that was an arm's reach away just faded into a blur.  
  
Stryker felt stupid with his latest discovery. There he was --- a man without a past, without a damn clue who he was, AND he needed glasses to see. How was he going to find her now that he couldn't even see where she was?  
  
Alone. Cold. Battered. Bleeding. Confused. He just couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"ANYONE?!!!" He suddenly shouted out loud at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the air.  
  
His eyes looked up at the sky and at the mountainous regions around him. He felt as if he was the only person in the world. That thought bore a pit in his heart, like a void that needed to be filled.  
  
"WHO AM I?!!!" He shouted again, this time, throwing his arms up in the air. "WHERE am I?!!!".  
  
He didn't expect to get any answers. After all, no one was there to answer back, except for the trees, the mountains, the river, and the echo of his own voice.  
  
His arms fell lifelessly on his sides. He'd had enough. If he really did want to find the woman, then he would. Shouting at the sky would bring him nothing but unanswered questions.  
  
A determined look formed on his face as he focused his eyes on the side of the surrounding forest that was nearest to where he was standing. He remembered the young woman heading that way. So if he did want to find her, then that was the direction he was supposed to go.  
  
Stryker pulled the sleeves of his wet sweater over his hands and started trudging towards the forest.  
  
After a few steps, he suddenly heard a familiar voice come from behind him.  
  
"Going that way will lead you deeper into the forest. If you walk deeper within a few days, you'll get lost. If you don't find a way out soon enough, you'll either die of hunger, or get eaten alive by the wolves. Trust me, I know. You left me there with nothing but my undergarments the day after you created me." Yuriko said with a cold look on her face. Her claws were now absent and she seemed calm.  
  
The old man turned around and saw the familiar face that came with the familiar voice. Just a few steps away from him was the only person he had ever seen in what felt like the entirety of his life. At that moment, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be relieved that she found him, or worried that his life was going to end soon.  
  
"Have you come back to end what you have started?" He asked. He tried to compose himself that time. He didn't want to look weak or scared. He was going to stand up to the woman and get his answers soon enough.  
  
Yuriko looked at him straight in the eyes. "I didn't start it, William. You did."  
  
A look of confusion appeared on his face again. "Look... I....I don't even know what I started. I don't even know you. I don't even know how I got here. I don't know why you're angry at me. I don't even know who I am!!! But you know, right? You know!!!" He said, pointing at Yuriko.  
  
"I know all too well. And sometimes I wish I'd just wake up and just forget all of it. Or wake up and realize that my life with you was just a bad dream." She said in a rather sad tone.  
  
The sound of her voice suddenly gave him a rush of feelings he couldn't understand. Then he looked at her again. He noticed how young she was. And how delicate she looked, now that she was calm and at peace. Did he really hurt her? Did he really do terrible things to her that she claimed he did?  
  
"What did I do to you?" He asked slowly, as if he was unsure if he should have asked the question or not.  
  
But Yuriko just looked at him. The look on her face was that of sadness and anger. She still couldn't believe that she was having such a conversation with a man who had never talked to her like a human being before.  
  
She remembered those days in which he would say a word or two to her, but those were usually the times when he ordered her to kill someone, or do some of his bidding. Either way, all of those orders asked her to do something against her will.  
  
He looked back at her, expecting an answer. But none came. She just stood there looking at him.  
  
Without saying anything, she turned around and started walking away.  
  
"Despite the fact that I despise every ounce of your humanity, I can't deny that I need you for now, William." She said as she walked away.  
  
For him it was a sign that he was allowed to follow. And so he did. He trudged through the snow after her, falling back a few paces away. Even if she was the only person he knew, he still felt uncomfortable being near her.  
  
He kept his eye on Yuriko as he followed her from behind. Without her claws, she didn't seem that threatening to him anymore. She just looked like an ordinary young woman. He also noticed her delicate and svelte physical structure. When standing, he would almost tower over her like a tall, massive structure.  
  
His eyes traveled down to her hands. He remembered how her claws extended from the tips of her fingers, and how she was able to retract them at will, as if they were an extension of her body.  
  
"Stop looking at me." Said Yuriko in an emotionless tone.  
  
Not only did Stryker's project increase her strength, agility, speed and healing factor, but it also heightened her senses to the point that she could almost feel and smell everyone's actions. She knew Wolverine had the same ability. During her fight with him, it was as if he could predict what she was going to do next. But she had the better hand, for her abilities were far more superior. She was created to be the perfect weapon and now she was living life as one.  
  
"You were looking at my hands." She said again. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and extended her claws towards his direction. "You were the one who did this to me, Stryker.".  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED =)  
  
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	6. In darkness there is comfort

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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CHAPTER VI: In darkness there is comfort  
  
She retracted her claws and went back to looking at the direction they were heading. Yuriko could see nothing but trees and snow as they entered the forest. She knew it would probably take half a day to reach the road on the other side of the woods.  
  
Her eyes traveled down to her hands. She looked at them as she walked through their tree-laden path. Those hands gave her nothing but harsh, painful memories. From the first time she opened her eyes in Stryker's laboratory, her hands did nothing but do what Stryker asked her to do. Her hands did nothing but Stryker's work and Stryker's orders. They never felt like hers from the beginning.  
  
Yuriko gently moved her fingers. Her silver, adamantium nails glistened under the rays of sunlight that shone through the openings between the trees. It was the first time she ever felt alive. For once she could control herself. She could finally move her body the way she wanted to. She could smile if she wanted to.  
  
Her face tilted up towards the sky. Above her towered the evergreen trees that filled the forest. The clear, light blue sky peeked through the trees and the sun's rays touched her soft, delicate face. It was as if she was walking in a dream. She was finally free. After years and years of suffering she was finally free.  
  
And yet she still felt tied to the past. It was his presence that didn't allow her to be fully free. She looked at him again from the corner of her eye. She could see his broad yet weak figure trying to catch up with her. Unlike her, Stryker didn't have any healing powers. He was still carrying the bruises and cuts that he obtained from his previous struggle with Logan and Magneto.  
  
"I'm not feeling well." Stryker said, panting. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, with blood mixed in from the cut he obtained during his escape from the rapid waters. He touched the cut on his temple and winced in pain.  
  
"And I've never felt well on the years that I've been with you, William. If I endured it for that long, then I believe you can endure a day of --- not feeling well too." Deep inside her she smiled. Was she supposed to feel better now that she had the upper hand? Or was she slowly starting to turn into him? Into the person she hated the most?  
  
Stryker clutched his right arm. He could feel some bleeding coming from his puncture wounds there too. He couldn't even remember how he got his injuries. Was she the reason he lost his memory? Was she the one who left him to drown, bound in chains to a solid structure?  
  
He had to reach out to her somehow. He felt as if he was going to fall on his face any time soon. "Look, I'm bleeding and I'm hungry. I feel like I've broken a bone, or torn a muscle. I don't know. I just need to rest. I need to sit or lean against something for a while."  
  
Yuriko stopped on her tracks and pursed her lips. She turned around to face him. Her eyes looked at his familiar, yet strange face. Was she looking at the same man who had controlled her for so long? Was the man in front of her the ruthless tyrant who wanted to commit mass genocide on all the mutants on earth?  
  
She wasn't even sure anymore. Before her stood an aging man who looked like a helpless wounded animal. His eyes looked tired. Half of his face was covered with blood. He clutched his arm as if it was going to fall off soon. He looked like he was about to collapse and die.  
  
"You know what's funny about this situation? The fact that I asked the same thing from you --- over and over and over again, but you never gave me a second of it. There was never a moment's rest, nor a second's relief from my prison. I never had peace. You gave me no peace." Yuriko clenched her fists as she looked at him.  
  
Stryker's eyes met hers. "You keep on saying these things about me. About --- who I was, and what I did to you. But --- but I can't even remember it!!! I don't remember anything!!! How many times do I have to tell you that?!! What do you want me to tell you?! That I do know?! That I really did those things to you?! Do you want me to tell you that I'm the monster you claim me to be?!!"  
  
"You don't need to tell me, William. My existence is already proof of what you are." She said with an icy stare. "Now come. If we stay here long enough, you might lose more blood. And despite the fact that I want you dead more than anything else, I won't allow you to die yet. You still have some unfinished business with me."  
  
She turned around and started walking towards their original direction.  
  
Stryker hopelessly sighed, realizing that he had no choice but to follow her. He had no idea what 'unfinished business' she was talking about, but to stay with her was the only way to find out.  
  
After a couple of hours, the sky above them started to grow dim. The sun slowly descended behind the mountains to the west, and the moon was starting to make its appearance.  
  
Stryker clenched his teeth as he felt the unbearable pain pounding at his body. Every now and then he would feel himself drifting away, nauseated and weak.  
  
"It's almost night time. Are we going to reach the road soon? I don't know if I can go on any longer."  
  
Yuriko didn't answer back. She just kept on walking in a steady pace. She knew they would reach the road soon, so she found no need to attend to her companion's consistent complaints and whining.  
  
After an hour more of walking, her eyes caught sight of the road through the trees.  
  
"Finally" Stryker sighed. He was hoping for rest and medication as soon as they exited the forest, but when they reached the mountainside road, it extended towards the horizon, as if there weren't any houses or markets nearby. There was just the road, more mountains and more trees.  
  
"What now?" He asked tiredly.  
  
"We'll wait." Yuriko said as she looked at him.  
  
A look of disappointment and confusion could clearly be seen on the man's face. He was looking forward to something comforting after everything that happened, and now he was supposed to wait. But for how long? He wasn't even sure if he could walk another step.  
  
He sat down next to a tree and leaned against its trunk. He cradled his wounded arm with his hand.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" He asked, looking up at Yuriko who was standing by the road.  
  
Yuriko looked at the southern direction of the road and saw a car coming their way. The car looked like a pick-up truck. She tried to identify the driver, but the tint on the car's windshield prohibited her from doing so. As the car drove closer, she was able to identify that the driver was indeed alone.  
  
She quickly removed her jacket, revealing her white tank top underneath. She didn't want to risk wearing a jacket with unusual battle marks on it. If the driver noticed, it might steer up some unneeded suspicion from him --- or her. She tied its sleeves around her waist and fixed herself up to look as normal as she could.  
  
"What are you doing?" William asked.  
  
As the car got closer, Yuriko waved her hand in the air like a hitchhiker.  
  
"Getting us a lift." She said without looking at him. Yuriko sighed with relief as the car stopped in front of her. Its windows were rolled down, which allowed her to see the driver.  
  
The driver was a young man, somewhere in his mid-twenties. He had a medium physical built, blonde hair, and brown eyes. His face reminded her of someone she had known, but couldn't remember.  
  
He smiled at her and leaned towards her side of the window.  
  
"Need any help, miss?" He asked with a grin.  
  
She could clearly see him surveying her with his eyes.  
  
"Um, yes! I believe you've heard of the Alkali Lake incident? About the dam breaking? Me and my friend were shooting some nature documentaries in the area and he got wounded when it happened. I was wondering if you can give us a lift to the Alkali Hotel?"  
  
Yuriko felt weird talking like that. She had never talked as herself before. When she was under Stryker's command, the only things she could say were the words that he wanted her to. It was as if she didn't have a mind of her own.  
  
But now she finally had the freedom to talk when she wanted to talk, to say what she wanted to say, to do what she wanted to do. She was her own master now. And she would never allow anyone to take that away from her again.  
  
She noticed the young man's smile fade a bit.  
  
It was quite obvious that he wanted to have the beautiful hitchhiker all to himself.  
  
"Er, sure...Where's your friend?" He asked. His eyes wandered around the area looking for the young woman's 'friend'.  
  
Yuriko smiled at him. "Hold on a sec, okay? I'll go get him real quick.". She still felt a bit weird talking as herself.  
  
She turned around and headed towards the place where Stryker decided to rest for a while. She saw him sitting next to a tree, looking at her as she approached.  
  
"You're good." He said with a smirk.  
  
Yuriko walked up to him and quickly pulled him up by his right arm. "Get up! Our ride's here."  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED... 


	7. Rediscovering Life

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
============================= EBONY = yeap ! Yuriko finally has a mind of her own. As for the guy in the car, there's more to him than meets the "eye" cough cameo cough.  
  
DIVINE GUARDIAN = Thanks for the review ! Logan will definitely be in the fanfic soon. As for Yuriko being quite talkative, she knew she had to appear friendly to the driver. After all, who would want to pick up a mysterious, monotonous person, right? ;).  
  
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Chapter VII: Rediscovering life Stryker yelped in pain as she carelessly pulled him from the ground. He was still amazed by how strong she was. He was almost twice her size and yet she could pull him as if he was nothing.  
  
She quickly leaned close to him and started to talk in a low voice. "Remember --- We shoot documentaries for a living. You got into an accident when the dam broke because we were shooting there. And you're supposed to be my friend. Just try to play the part."  
  
Stryker just nodded. He knew what she was trying to say.  
  
Yuriko wrapped his arm around her shoulders to make it look as if she was guiding his every step. She slowly brought him towards the young man's car.  
  
"Man, he looks terrible!" The driver said as he caught sight of Stryker through the open window.  
  
"Yeah. It was a close call. I almost lost him there. Um, anyway, I really hope we aren't much trouble. Alkali Hotel is just an hour's drive away, so we'll be gone soon before you know it." Yuriko said. She still had Stryker's arm around her shoulders.  
  
The young man smiled and unlocked the door to the backseat of his car. "Look, it's really okay. I'm just glad that I drove by when I did. Your friend's in really bad shape. You should actually consider bringing him to a hospital instead."  
  
"We'll be fine. We have a suite in the hotel and some medical supplies. That would be enough to help him through the night. Thank you for your concern though." Yuriko smiled back at him and opened the door to his car.  
  
She gently guided her 'companion' into the backseat and followed after him.  
  
As soon as the two of them were settled down, Stryker looked at her with a 'can we trust him?' look. She briefly looked at the young man who was seated in the driver's seat, and then nodded at Stryker. Yuriko just had a way of reading people. It was an added ability that came with her extremely heightened senses.  
  
The young man looked at his front mirror and saw his two new companions all settled down at the back. "You guys okay back there?"  
  
Yuriko met the young man's eyes through the front mirror. "Yeah. We're fine. Thanks again for the lift."  
  
"No problemo." The driver started his engine and drove off.  
  
The beautiful scenery outside Yuriko's window filled her heart with contentment. She rolled her window down and looked at the vast snow- covered mountains as the wind blew on her face. The evergreen forests that served as her training grounds, now looked so alive and beautiful. And the sea beyond the lake illuminated from the light of the sun. The view seemed like a painting. And it was the first time she ever realized how beautiful the world truly was.  
  
Yuriko smiled as the view of Alkali Lake slowly drifted away, like a memory that she wanted to forget. For her it was a sign that a new life awaited -- - A life that was hers and no one else's. She now had a life she could live as she saw fit.  
  
But the irony of her current situation still lingered at the back of her mind. She had escaped her prison, only to end up with the man who had put her there in the first place. She looked at the figure sitting next to her. William Stryker. His eyes were closed and his head was leaning against the window on his side of the car.  
  
She still couldn't understand why she took him with her. No, she didn't take him out of pity. Stryker didn't deserve any ounce of pity. It was probably because he reminded her of the suffering she had endured. He was the living proof that she had gone through hell and have come back unscathed. And aside from that, she needed something else from him.  
  
"Oh. By the way, my name's Alex. Alex Summers." The young man suddenly said. He looked at Yuriko from the corner of his eye, keeping most of his attention on the road.  
  
Yuriko's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of his name. It seemed familiar. It was as if she had heard or seen it somewhere before. Either way, she knew it was of no importance to her now. She shouldn't bother with such puzzles of no importance.  
  
"My name's Yuriko. Yuriko Oyama. I really appreciate your help, Alex." She said in a friendly manner. She was glad she was finally talking to someone other than Stryker. It had been a while since she had talked to someone --- truly talked to someone.  
  
"No problem, Yuriko. So, uh, you guys shoot documentaries for a living, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. Mostly nature documentaries. Plants, animals, natural disasters....the like." She didn't want to lie to him, but she had no other choice.  
  
She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that they just barely survived a damaged underground military facility that was built to destroy mutants and create super human weapons. That would make things too complicated, especially since she's one of THE super human weapons.  
  
"It's a good thing you didn't get hurt. Your friend though, he looks like he took a good beating."  
  
"Don't worry. He'll survive." She briefly glanced at the sleeping man beside her. Seeing him, even in his sleeping state, made her stomach churn.  
  
"So what channel do you shoot these documentaries for? National Geographic? Discovery? Animal Planet?" Alex still had his eyes on the road.  
  
"Um....." Yuriko wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't watched anything for years. She even had no idea what those channels were about. So she just had to guess.  
  
"Discovery Channel. We shoot documentaries for Discovery Channel." She said proudly. She hoped that he wouldn't ask any more questions about their 'work', because frankly, she really had no idea what their work was all about.  
  
"Wow! That's great! It's too bad you lost all the stuff you were filming today. Everyone's actually talking about what happened a while ago. They say mutants were responsible for the dam breaking. Some of the locals even claimed that they spotted the jet of the X-Men. I really don't know who to believe, but I guess nothing can be proven at this point."  
  
"So, you think the mutants didn't do it?" Yuriko asked with a curious tone. She didn't want to delve on the Alkali Lake event anymore, but Alex's view towards the X-Men intrigued her.  
  
"Maybe they didn't do it, maybe they did. Who knows, right? Well, you two were there. Did you see anything? Like a jet or something? Did you see anything unusual? You know, out of the ordinary?"  
  
Yuriko's eyes darted from left to right, as she tried to find the right words to say. "No." She said abruptly. "Um, no. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary." She raised her eyebrows and smiled at Alex when their eyes met in the front mirror.  
  
"Oh okay. But hey, at least one good thing came out of it."  
  
"What's that?" She had no idea what 'good thing' he was talking about.  
  
"I got to help a damsel in distress." Alex chuckled and looked at Yuriko again.  
  
Yuriko chuckled too, and was surprised at her recent emotional output. She was actually chuckling. She even felt herself blush. It looked like Stryker wasn't the only one who needed to discover himself. She needed to discover who she truly was too. She needed to discover the young woman behind the name Yuriko Oyama.  
  
"How about your friend? What's his name?" He asked. The smile on his face still lingered.  
  
"Uh, his name is Jim. Jim Brogan." She said briefly. She couldn't disclose Stryker's real name. Some of the people in the area knew who he was. They didn't know he had built a secret base under Alkali Lake, but his military presence and 'research' made some of the locals feel uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, I hope your friend Jim'll get better soon." He said encouragingly. "Since your shoot got interrupted by the incident, you two might need to get back to work sooner than expected."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he survives the night." A small smile curled up the corner of her lip as she exchanged words with Alex.  
  
After a while, they caught sight of Alkali Hotel.  
  
Yuriko actually enjoyed the short trip with the stranger. In less than an hour, she felt as if she had already known him as she would an old friend. After all, he was the first person who had ever treated and talked to her as a normal human being. His presence made her feel human again.  
  
"Over there." Yuriko said, pointing at the structure.  
  
Alex drove his car in front of the hotel's entrance and stopped there.  
  
He placed his arm over his seat and turned sideways towards Yuriko. "Well, we're here. Heh. I guess it's true what they say. Time does fly by when you're having fun."  
  
Yuriko looked back at him. She noticed him staring at her eyes. "Yeah. I guess so too. Look, Alex. Thank you so much. And, I did have fun in the trip too." She really wasn't sure what to say. It was obvious that the young man liked her, but she was unsure of what to do in such a situation.  
  
She was about to say something, but her conversation with Alex was suddenly interrupted when she noticed the man sleeping next to her.  
  
Yuriko sighed. Alex was the first person she'd truly met, and now she had to leave. She knew she would probably never see him again, and she didn't want to. Alex was too normal for the likes of her. "I'm sorry, Alex. But I have to go. Thank you for the ride though."  
  
She quickly opened the door and got out of the car, pulling Stryker after her.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = TO BE CONTINUED !  
  
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	8. Alone with the enemy

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Hell Jumper = If you only know how encouraging your reviews are !!!! When I first started righting this piece, I thought no one would read it because Yuriko and Stryker weren't really that popular in the movie (especially Stryker). So it's great to know that you like how this story is centered on them ! Even unpopular and hated characters need the spotlight too !!! Thanks again!  
  
Ebony = Everything definitely feels so new to Yuriko! After all, she was under Stryker's control the entire time when she was still Lady Deathstrike. Kinda sucks for her that she ended up with him in this fanfic, huh? Lol. (bitter sweet irony). And yesss....that's Alex Summers ! Hmm...I wonder what other things Yuriko will discover about herself.....  
  
Freelancer88 = Great to know you're liking the fanfic so far !!! As for Alex's role, I really can't say much about it for now. As for Jean being alive or dead...Hmmmm....  
  
=================== ================  
  
Chapter VIII: Alone with the enemy  
  
Alex's eyebrow arched up as she saw Yuriko's amazing strength. He had no idea that Yuriko, a young woman of small stature, could easily pull a man who was twice her size.  
  
"Uhn --- What's going on?" Stryker asked as he slowly woke up. He felt Yuriko's arms around his midsection as she pulled him. "What are you doing?" He asked again, still feeling nauseated.  
  
"We're here." She said. She slowly guided Stryker off the car and closed the door after him.  
  
"Oh god --- my head." He groaned in pain as his feet touched the ground. He could barely keep himself awake. He brought his hand to his forehead and swayed from side to side like a drunkard. Yuriko just wanted to slap some sense in him.  
  
Alex leaned towards the open window on her side. "Are you sure Jim's gonna be okay?" He asked with a worried look on his face. "If you want I can drive you to the hospital. There's one in Vancouver." He seemed eager to have her company again.  
  
"Trust me. He'll be fine." She said with a humble smile. She knew they were lucky to have come across such a nice person. She had a way of reading people and she knew he had a good heart. She could smell it.  
  
Yuriko's eyes suddenly opened wide with panic as she saw Stryker about to keel over. She quickly reached out and grabbed him by the collar.  
  
Even Alex was startled with what happened. "Are you sure you don't want to bring him to the hospital?"  
  
She just smiled back at him. "I'm positive. Anyway, we better go back to our room now. I'm not sure how long Jim could keep himself on his feet. "  
  
"Yeah. I guess. So, uh, I'll probably see you around sometime. You take care, okay? And your friend too." His eyes were still focused on Yuriko. "Maybe I'll catch you on Discovery Channel or sumthin. You know, see you in action."  
  
"Sure. Thanks for the ride, Alex. Maybe I'll see again too." She did a little wave and smiled at him.  
  
Alex gave Yuriko a small salute and started his car. He found it quite unfortunate that they had to part so soon. He liked having her around. He barely knew her, and they weren't together for more than an hour, but there was something about her that intrigued him in a way that he couldn't understand.  
  
So he knew he had to meet her again somehow. He quickly looked out of the window and called out to her.  
  
Yuriko was already about to turn around and head towards the hotel, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard him call her name.  
  
She turned around and met his eyes.  
  
"Um, I don't want to come on too strong, but here's my number, just in case you and your friend need another lift." He pulled out a card from the compartment of his car and handed it to her.  
  
Yuriko was quite taken aback by Alex's gesture. She didn't imagine that he would be willing to give them another ride. After all, she was planning to forget about him after that night.  
  
"Uh, thank you." She said as she took the card reluctantly. She looked at the card and Alex's information was on it. Alex Summers, Geophysicist.  
  
/"Another scientist."/ She thought to herself. Now she realized why he knew so much about the earth's physics and its environment. And why he was so interested in their 'documentaries'. She also remembered talking to him about such things on the way to the hotel.  
  
"I travel around a lot, and you might wanna hitch again. Better to hitchhike with a friend than a stranger, right?" He said with a smile. "Well, I better get going. I still have some errands to run."  
  
"Yeah, I don't want to keep you from your schedule." She smiled and waved at him with his card on her hand.  
  
He looked out of window and smiled at her for the last time.  
  
Yuriko felt relieved as she saw him drive into the distance. She really didn't want to get entangled with anyone at the moment. There was still too much in her life that she had to fix before she could get it back on track. The last thing she needed was a distraction. There was only one man whom she wanted to spend time with, and that was Logan.  
  
She looked at Alex's card and sighed. /"Goodbye, Alex."/  
  
She threw it in the snow, and made her way to the hotel's main entrance with an arm wrapped around a dazed Stryker. It was one of those situations wherein she was thankful for her enhanced strength. The man could barely stand on his own two feet.  
  
The doorman of the hotel immediately greeted them when they came into his view.  
  
"Miss Oyama! It's been a while since you and...." He was suddenly startled when he noticed William Stryker's grave condition. "Good grief! What happened to Mr. Stryker?!" He asked in panic.  
  
She wasn't surprised that the doorman knew them all too well. Stryker had a bought a suite on the top floor and made it into his own home. She knew he had lived there ever since the beginning of the Alkali Base's construction. As his 'personal assistant', she knew more things about him than she ever wanted to know.  
  
"We got into a road accident. Don't worry. It's not as bad as it looks." She said calmly.  
  
The doorman was quite surprised with the way Yuriko talked and acted. He had seen her with Stryker ever since she became his personal assistant, and it was the first time that he'd seen her so relaxed and so --- human.  
  
"Okay, Ms. Oyama. If you say so." He nodded and opened the door to the hotel.  
  
Yuriko walked in with Stryker leaning against her right arm. Her eyes wandered at the lavishness of the place. Like the landscapes she saw earlier that day, it was also the first time she was able to appreciate the grandness of the hotel.  
  
Back when she was Stryker's slave, the hotel was another one of her prisons. Whenever they would go there, Stryker would go into his suite, and she would stay in another room. In there she would do nothing but stare at the walls. It wasn't that she didn't want to enjoy her own room, but Stryker didn't let her. He wouldn't let her do anything he didn't want her to do.  
  
"Where are we?" He asked, all nauseated.  
  
Yuriko didn't answer back. She wanted to avoid talking to him as much as she could. She hated the sound of his voice as much as she hated the sight of him.  
  
She went up to the counter and the receptionist was also taken aback by what she saw.  
  
"Miss Yuriko! What happened to Mr. Stryker?!"  
  
Yuriko sighed. She was already tired of everyone asking the same questions over and over again. She just wanted to go up to the suite to rest and disappear from everyone's sight before attracting any more attention.  
  
"We got into a road accident. Don't worry. He'll be fine." She said monotonously. Yuriko swore she saw the receptionist's eyebrow twitch. She knew the receptionist was probably surprised with the way she was talking.  
  
Stryker groaned and looked at the receptionist. "Who are you?" He asked groggily through half-opened eyes. His eyes wandered to the identification card that was pinned on her suit. "Emma.......That's your name."  
  
Yuriko quickly did a fake embarrassed laughter. "Ahahah... I think he hit his head too hard." She quickly moved Stryker behind her. "Can we have the key to his suite now?"  
  
Emma was quite confused by Yuriko and Stryker's actions, but she knew she didn't have the right to meddle in their affairs. "Okay, Miss Yuriko. And I believe you'll have another room for yourself?"  
  
"No, thank you. We'll both be staying in the suite tonight." Yuriko answered.  
  
Stryker leaned against Yuriko's back, as he tried to keep himself on his feet. He looked like a drunk driver who had just survived a road accident.  
  
Emma was quite surprised that Miss Oyama wasn't going to sleep in her own room that night, and Yuriko noticed that.  
  
"It's --- not what you think." She said sternly. She saw the receptionist pay no attention to her, and she felt quite relieved by that. She shouldn't have even reacted to the receptionist's curiosity.  
  
Emma went to the key cabinet and fetched Stryker's keys from one of its drawers. She walked back towards Yuriko and gave them to her.  
  
"Enjoy your stay." She said with a smile.  
  
Yuriko immediately took the keys and headed towards the elevator with Stryker in tow.  
  
She pushed the 'up' button, and soon enough, the elevator opened. It was empty, except for the operator, and this made her feel relieved. The last thing she needed was more people looking at them.  
  
The operator smiled as they entered the elevator. The operator also knew who they were and she didn't doubt that. After all, they were there almost every night. She didn't even have to tell him their destination.  
  
As soon as they got in, he pushed the button to the top floor, where Stryker's suite was, and they were on their way.  
  
Stryker continued to leaned against Yuriko as they made their way to the top floor. His inability to keep himself conscious was starting to piss her off.  
  
"Where are we going? We're in an elevator." He asked again. He was still groggy due to the head injury.  
  
Yuriko noticed the operator glance at them. He, like the others, was also probably wondering what happened to Stryker.  
  
She had no choice but to explain before he got more suspicious.  
  
"We got into a road accident. Drunk driving." She said with a fake tone in her voice.  
  
"Oh." The operator replied. He didn't say or did anything after that. He felt awkward that Miss Oyama was able to read his actions.  
  
The floor indicator slowly moved its way to the 15th floor. Yuriko hoped that the elevator wouldn't stop for other passengers. She really didn't want to be with anyone else at the moment. The world still seemed so new to her, as if she had just been born. She still needed some time to get used to her new environment.  
  
After a while, the floor indicator stopped on the 15th floor and the elevator opened.  
  
================= TO BE CONTINUED !  
  
Reviews are greatly appreciated !  
  
============= 


	9. Painful realizations

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
==============================  
  
THANK YOU so much to those who reviewed the previous chapter : SKETTY24, TOPWITCH and TP96! I'm very grateful that you like my story (even if it's a bit odd .) ! Here's the next chap !!!! Hope you like it !  
  
==============================  
  
Chapter IX : Painful realizations  
  
Yuriko quickly stepped out of the elevator, pulling Stryker after her. She was starting to get tired of hauling him around. She knew she didn't even have to take him with her, but he was the only one who knew who she truly was before she became Lady Deathstrike. Well, he used to know, before his memory loss.  
  
The two of them made their way to Stryker's suite. She took the keys from her pocket and opened the door.  
  
Unlike the other suites that occupied the top floor, Stryker's suite was plain and simple. Its walls were barren, and it emanated dullness. It didn't even have the simplest of decorations. Ghostly curtains hung on the windows and on the entrance to the balcony. Other than that, the only things it had were the appliances he needed.  
  
Yuriko felt a chill when the wind blew against the curtains. It made the place seem emptier than it already was.  
  
Stryker never allowed anyone in there, except for her on occasions. Sometimes he would ask her to retrieve some things for him or accompany him whenever he 'brought his work at home'.  
  
They first area they came across was the living. On the left side of the living room were doors to two other rooms --- The master bedroom and his 'work room'. The work room was where he kept all his files and his home computers. Unfortunately, it's door was locked with a password device, and he was the only one who was supposed to know what the password was.  
  
On the far side of the living room was a sliding door that led to the balcony. Stryker never used the balcony. He just didn't seem like the kind of man who would take the time to treasure the view it could offer.  
  
He would rather see a mutant slain, than sea the beautiful terrains that encircled the area.  
  
Yuriko dragged Stryker towards the bedroom. It was spacious and barren. It only had a bed, a desk, a computer, a couch, a mirror, a built-in cabinet and a television set. On its left side was a door to the bathroom. Her eyes wandered to his desk and saw a framed picture of his wife on it.  
  
She sighed and placed him down on the bed. She looked at his half- conscious body.  
  
/"What am I going to do with you now?"/ She thought to herself. She couldn't go out again with him looking like that. Doing so would just draw more attention to them.  
  
She leaned towards him and placed her hands on the bed. "William, get up! We're going to leave tomorrow and I can't take you with me if you look like that." She was now the one in command.  
  
Stryker just placed his hands on his head and groaned. "My head....."  
  
Yuriko stood up beside the bed and sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't have time for this...I'm through keeping up with you!" She'd had enough of him. It was either he was going to follow her, or she was going to do things her way.  
  
She quickly took off her shoes and marched into the bathroom. She saw the bathtub and turned on the cold water faucet at full. She let the bathtub fill itself and went back to the bedroom to fetch Stryker.  
  
"You're coming with me." She said abruptly.  
  
"What?" He asked in a daze.  
  
She grabbed him by his sweater and dragged him to the bathroom with her. By the time they were back in the bathroom, the bathtub was already filled with cold water.  
  
"What're you doing?" He asked.  
  
"Waking you up." She pushed Stryker face first in the bathtub.  
  
As soon as he felt the cold water engulf his body, he immediately emerged, gasping for air and wiping his face. His lips shook from the freezing temperature. The blood from his wounds mixed with the water, giving it a pinkish color.  
  
"What's going on?!!!" He asked with an angry tone in his voice. His hand ran over the cut on his forehead and he winced in pain.  
  
"You were taking up too much of my time." She said coldly. Despite Stryker's pitiful state, she couldn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him. He took control of her, abused her, took away her life, and she could never forgive that.  
  
She took one of the towels from the towel rack and threw it at him. "Dry yourself then meet me back in the bedroom. We have to get you ready for the trip tomorrow."  
  
Stryker was about to ask where they were going, but she had already exited the bathroom.  
  
Yuriko closed the door behind her and breathed in deeply. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. There was a part of her that wished she had killed him when she first saw him by the river, and there's another part of her that was glad that she didn't. She didn't even know if he would regain his memory again. She needed his memory back, and that was why they were going to meet with the professor soon --- meet with the professor, and Logan.  
  
But now was not the time to think of the future. She still had something in her hands. She walked towards the closet and opened it. It was filled with Stryker's business suits and military clothes. It hardly had anything that could be worn in a casual, day-to-day basis.  
  
Yuriko went down on her knees and opened some of the drawers that occupied the lower part of the closet. She remembered him storing some medical supplies there before. One of the drawers had Stryker's medication in it.  
  
She knew he had been taking anti-depressant drugs in extremely high dozes after his wife died. Those drugs probably kept him from becoming even more of a madman than he already was.  
  
She closed the drawer and opened another one. Her eyes opened wide as she saw something that refueled her anger towards Stryker. The drawer was filled with the control fluid that he had used on her for years. Yuriko felt her heart beating faster as she looked at the drugs. She wanted to burn it all. Burn it all with his flesh burning alongside them.  
  
She quickly and angrily closed the drawer, creating a loud, banging sound that echoed in the room. Seeing those drugs brought back so many painful memories she wished she could just forget.  
  
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. She looked at the drawer and reminded herself to never open it again. She wiped the sweat with the back of her hand and licked her lips as she opened another one. She hoped to find something more pleasant this time.  
  
/"Medical supplies."/ She thought to herself. The drawer was filled with medicine, bandages and syringes. She wasn't really sure why Stryker decided to keep them in his suite. It was probably because he disliked going to the hospital. He actually didn't like going out in public altogether. The man had lived as an island for so long.  
  
Yuriko carefully took out the medical supplies from the drawer. She was unsure of how grave his injuries were, but she knew she would have to settle with the supplies she had at the moment.  
  
Stryker's lips shook as he stepped out of the chilly waters of the bathtub. He didn't know if he should be angry with the girl for what she did, or feel sorry for himself. He didn't even know where she had brought him this time. He was still as confused as he was when she first found him by the river.  
  
He dried his hair off with the towel that Yuriko had given him. He was careful not to rub the wound that ran across his right temple. The bleeding from the wound had ceased, but he knew it would start again soon. The cut was too deep, wide, and swollen. He could feel it throbbing on the side of his head.  
  
He lifted the towel from his face and saw an image in the mirror before him.  
  
Yuriko was suddenly startled when she heard someone scream from the bathroom. She dropped the medical supplies and stood up.  
  
/"Stryker?"/ She thought with a confused look on her face. /"What now?"/  
  
She ran towards the bathroom and quickly opened the door.  
  
She saw him looking at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes had a terrified look in them, as if he was shocked by the imagery that stared back at him. He reached out and slowly touched the creases on the face of his mirrored self.  
  
"I'm old." He whispered under his breath. He didn't even notice Yuriko standing by the door.  
  
His hand fell on the sink and slowly slipped away as he walked backwards. The terrified look in his eyes lingered. He wanted to escape from the image that was himself.  
  
"No....That can't be me." He felt his back hit the wall. He felt trapped. He wanted to claw his way out, but his eyes were drawn to the face that lay in front of him.  
  
"This is a mistake." He could feel his heart beating faster. He was on the verge of panicking.  
  
"That is no mistake." Yuriko said as she leaned against the doorway.  
  
"That can't be me....." He looked at her, his voice filled with fear. "That can't be..." His lips shook as he talked. His eyes longed for answers. He was afraid. He was scared --- scared that everything around him was real.  
  
"You are who you are, William." She said coldly. "Accept that fact."  
  
She didn't know if she should feel triumphant now that Stryker was the one who was scared, alone and lost. She remembered herself going through a similar dilemma when she was first brought into the world as Lady Deathstrike. But unlike him, she wasn't given the time to ask questions. She wasn't given the opportunity to ask who she was or what she was.  
  
Because when she first opened her eyes, the first thing she saw, the first thing she felt, was him, forcing her naked body to lay face down on a cold, steel table as he dropped the control fluid on the back of her neck. That was when she knew she had entered hell. The life she lived as Lady Deathstrike wasn't hers from the beginning.  
  
Yuriko's thoughts were suddenly cut short by the sound of his voice.  
  
"What are you saying?! That I'm an old man --- an old man who had lost his entire memory?!" He asked with an angry, confused tone in his voice. His back still lay against the wall, his chest moving up and down as he breathed.  
  
"What about the people I've met?! The things I've done?! My families and friends?! What about the life I lived?! I can't even remember a second of it! I've lost an entire lifetime!!!." He closed his eyes and hit the back of his head against the wall, in hopes that it would bring back some, even a little portion of his past. "I've lost all of it."  
  
"You didn't have much to lose from the beginning" Yuriko said. She looked cold and uncaring. How could she feel pity for a man who had given her so much pain?  
  
====== ==== TO BE CONTINUED Reviews are greatly appreciated :)! 


	10. Putting the pieces together

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note1: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . 'nuff said !  
  
NOTE2: Since fanfiction.net has difficulty in displaying italicized words (which are supposed to be characters' unspoken thoughts), I decided to upload chapters 1 – 10 again and enclosed all unspoken thoughts in .  
  
So from now on, /"This is going to be an unspoken thought."/.  
  
I fixed some of the scene dividers too =).  
  
============================== SKETTY24 = HERE'S THE UPDATE !!! Yeah --- It's quite unfortunate that Yuriko ended up with the man she hated the most. But then, she does need him to retrieve her memories. Either way, she's not gonna cut him some slack in this fanfic ! Logan will definitely have a bigger role later on....BWAHAHA! (Of course I can't say c0z that would ruin the plot ). As for Logan's tag...Hmmm...  
  
CAP'T O. HAGAN (super troopers?! O.o) = Thank you so much for keeping up with fanfic !!! The situation that Yuriko and Stryker are in will definitely give them more chance to interact in ways they've never been able to before =).  
  
TOPWITCH = THANK YOU so much for the review !!! Anyway, hope you like this next chap ! I hope it's not too "dramatic". O.O. lol  
  
PEETS96 = I also doubt that Yuriko would feel sympathy for him. She hates him the entirety of her soul. It's not that easy to forget a decade of torture, you know. Thanks for reviewing =)!  
  
============ ========== ====  
  
Chapter X: Putting the pieces together  
  
Stryker exhaled and looked at her again. "I want to go home. I'm tired." He looked like he had given up. He wanted to ask so many questions, but he knew a part of him didn't want to hear the answers.  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair and pushed Yuriko aside as he walked into the bedroom.  
  
His eyes wandered at the bare room that surrounded him. "Where are we?" He asked, looking at Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko closed the door behind her. "You don't remember?"  
  
Stryker sighed in frustration. "Of course I don't remember! Why? Should I know where we are?! Do I know this place?! Tell me!!!"  
  
She looked at him in the eyes. "This is where you live."  
  
He looked back at her. A look of confusion could clearly be seen on his face. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what to do. How could he forget his own room? His own place? His own house?  
  
He closed his eyes in hopes of remembering it, but nothing came. There wasn't even a sense of familiarity or a feeling of déjà vu. Everything felt so new to him.  
  
Yuriko noticed the empty look in his eyes. Perhaps it would have been better if she left him by the river to die. But that would've just given him the easy way out, and she didn't want that. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to go through what she went through, and more.  
  
His eyes surveyed the room again. He noticed how empty and abandoned it was. It didn't look like a room a person would love to go home to. It felt more like a prison. He felt suffocated by it.  
  
Without saying a word, he left the room.  
  
Yuriko slowly walked after him.  
  
Stryker made his way to the middle of the living room and looked around. Not a word escaped from his lips. He ran his hands on the table and chairs, trying to remember being there, but none of them gave him a hint of his past. Everything felt so new to his touch.  
  
Like his bedroom, the living room too felt so empty. And that bothered him. What kind of man would want to live in such a lonely place? There was neither a vase, nor a picture, nor a painting in sight. There was only a table and a couple of chairs.  
  
For a while he thought that the young woman was probably lying to him, but a part of him knew she wasn't. He had an innate feeling that she was telling the truth. He couldn't understand it either, but he completely trusted her, despite the fact that she tried to kill him before.  
  
"You wanted it this way. You only wanted tables and chairs. You didn't even want a picture on the wall." She said as she looked at him.  
  
Though he heard her clearly, he ignored her. He didn't even look at her. He saw another door on the opposite side of the living room and hastily made his way through it. He found himself in a kitchen --- An empty kitchen.  
  
It had a counter, shelves, cabinets, an oven and a fridge. But there was nothing on the counter --- not a plate or a scrap of food. The shelves were empty and the oven looked untouched.  
  
He went to the cabinets and opened each and every one of them and found nothing. He made his way to the fridge, expecting to find some food, but only found 3 bottles of drinking water. What kind of man was he? Did he even eat?  
  
He noticed Yuriko standing behind him. Her presence made him feel both uncomfortable and restricted. Whenever she was around, he felt like he was always being watched, always being judged. It was as if she was his judge and executioner.  
  
He turned around and looked into her eyes.  
  
She looked back at him "You preferred to eat at work."  
  
/"At work?"/ He thought to himself. What was his work?  
  
She pushed her aside and walked back into the living room. He still couldn't accept the fact that he lived there. How could that be his home? It had nothing. It was as if he didn't even exist. His eyes suddenly caught sight of a door that was right next to his bedroom.  
  
There was something about that door that made him feel uneasy. Right next to its doorknob was a small device that looked similar to a calculator. Funny --- he could remember what a calculator looked like, and yet he couldn't remember the date when he was born.  
  
Yuriko soon followed him into the living room. She noticed him looking at the password-protected door.  
  
"That's where you keep all your work."  
  
He looked at her. "My work.....My work is in there?"  
  
He had no idea what his work was, but he knew that he could use it to remember some of his past. He wanted to see what lay beyond that door. They say that people are judged through the work that they do in life, and he was ready to be judged. He was ready to rediscover himself.  
  
He marched towards the door with a determined look on his face. He took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. From the corner of his eye he could see Yuriko staring at him.  
  
/"She's not stopping me?"/ He thought to himself. He was about to unlock a major part of his life and the young woman just stood there. It was as if she didn't even care whether he unlocked his past or not.  
  
He braced himself as he pulled the door open.  
  
The living room was suddenly filled with silence. Stryker's eyes were opened wide with shock as he saw something he didn't expect. A silvery, solid wall blocked the doorway.  
  
In his panicked state, he ran his hands over the silver wall, looking for a crack or a gap, but found none. The wall sealed the room completely. It didn't even have the tiniest of openings in which dust could enter.  
  
"What is this?!" He pounded his fists against the wall in hopes that it might collapse or reveal a weakness. But the wall neither moved nor budged. The wall didn't even make a hollow sound as he pounded on it again and again.  
  
Yuriko could already see his fists bleeding.  
  
"You won't be able to open it. You padded all the walls of the room with two feet of adamantium. Even I can't open it." Her voice was void of all emotions.  
  
Stryker pressed his sweaty forehead on the wall as he leaned against it. He punched it for the last time, leaving a bloody smudge on its silvery exterior.  
  
He turned around and looked at Yuriko. "Then how do I open it?! There must be some way to open it!!!"  
  
"It's password protected." Her eyes motioned to the device that was located right next to the doorway.  
  
Stryker pushed himself off the adamantium barrier and inspected the password device. The device had a small rectangular screen that was on the same level as his eyes. Below the screen was 14 buttons. Nine of them were numbers and the other 3 were letters X, Y and Z. The two remaining buttons were bigger than the first 9. One was colored red, and the other was colored blue.  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "So....How does this thing work? I was probably the one who installed it here, but I obviously cannot remember how to use it now, can I?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Look into the screen and push the red button." Yuriko said. She knew he wouldn't be able to deactivate the barrier unless he remembered the password. And she doubted that he would. But if he did, then she might finally be able to see her past too. He kept all of his mutant research files in that room, including hers.  
  
Stryker slowly moved his eyes in front of the device and pushed the red button. A red laser-like light suddenly emitted from the screen and scanned his eyes. After five seconds, the light faded.  
  
He quickly stepped away from the device and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the password device again and saw the words 'Access Granted' printed on the screen.  
  
"I did it." He whispered under his breath. He licked his lips and looked at the adamantium barrier that blocked the doorway. He expected the barrier to open, but it just stayed in its place.  
  
"Why is it not opening?!!!" He asked Yuriko angrily.  
  
"Look at the screen." She answered back.  
  
/"What?"/  
  
He looked at the screen and saw the words 'Enter Password' printed on it.  
  
"No......No!!!" His patience was starting to grow thin. Ever since she found him, he'd encountered one puzzle after another and solved none of them. His life felt like one huge conundrum that didn't have any answers.  
  
He pressed his lips together and stared at the device.  
  
/"I can do this."/ He thought to himself.  
  
He was the one who planted the device there. He used to know the password. Maybe he'd remember it again if he tried hard enough. That room was the only real link he had to his past, and he was determined to open it, no matter what.  
  
"How many digits does my password have?" He asked desperately. His eyes were still focused on the device. He looked at it, trying to recall the password, but his mind gave him nothing but an empty void.  
  
"I do not know." She answered back.  
  
He turned around and looked at her. "What do you mean you do not know?! You claim to know everything about me!!! You're the only one I know who knows who I really am!!!"  
  
"I do know you...More than I ever wanted to. But that doesn't mean I know everything that you do." She said monotonously.  
  
A frustrated, angry look appeared on Stryker's face as he punched the password device.  
  
"Worthless piece of shit!!!" He shouted through gritted teeth. "What kind of man even shuts his work from the world?!!"  
  
He turned around and looked at her again. Yuriko could see the fire in his eyes. He was now slowly discovering that man he truly was.  
  
"What kind of person lives in a house that has nothing?! What kind of person has a kitchen without food?! I don't even have a damn plate! What kind of man has a living room with nothing but a table and a bunch of chairs?!" He picked up one of the chairs and threw it to the other side of the living room. Its legs shattered as it hit the wall.  
  
"I don't even have to worry about breaking a vase or a picture frame because I don't have one!" He started walking towards Yuriko.  
  
"Who would dare live here?! I can't even stand this place! And my work.... You say my work lies beyond that door..." He pointed at the adamantium barrier that blocked the doorway to his 'work' room.  
  
"What kind of man would even do that?! I'm not even sure what an adamantium is!!! What kind of work was I doing?!! WHO AM I?!! WHAT AM I?!!"  
  
His voice echoed in the room. By the time he stopped, he was an arm's reach away from where Yuriko was standing.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED ! 


	11. The girl with the adamantium claws

Note1: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . 'nuff said !  
  
NOTE2: Since fanfiction.net has difficulty in displaying italicized words (which are supposed to be characters' unspoken thoughts), I decided to upload chapters 1 – 10 again and enclosed all unspoken thoughts in .  
  
So from now on, /"This is going to be an unspoken thought."/.  
  
I fixed some of the scene dividers too =).  
  
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HELL JUMPER = Bows down to thee . Yuriko and Stryker's situation in the fanfic actually allows them to interact in ways they haven't been to before. That's why it's great to write about their emotions and feelings. First of all, the tables have turned. Stryker has no idea who he is, an Yuriko wants to discover her past through a man that she hates. And ironically, the only people they know/have known are each other. Thanks for da review !!!  
  
PENDRAGON4 = Yeah. It's unfortunate that Yuriko's character wasn't given that much background and screen time in the movie. Heheh...at least this fanfic's mostly about her !  
  
TOPWITCH = Thanks, topwitch ! Heheh...I guess this part of the story is filled with drama. After all, both of them are currently 'soul searching'. And trust me --- Yuriko's definitely gonna find her 'soul' soon once she meets with the professor.  
  
CARMILLA = Thank you so much for the comments ! Good to know I'm improving somehow. I'll definitely keep an eye out for them darn typos x.x!  
  
TP96 = NOT indeed! LOL! Though ya gotta give the guy credit for staying alive for this long. lol  
  
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Chapter XI: The girl with the adamantium claws  
  
He looked into her eyes and saw the hatred that emanated from them. She looked at him without a hint of emotion or compassion. She detested him and he knew it. But she was the only one he truly had now. He had no other choice.  
  
He felt his right temple throb as blood slowly started to pour out of the cut he gained earlier. His hand went up to his face and wiped the trail of blood away. He looked at his bloody fingers and scoffed at the sight.  
  
"At least I still bleed. That's proof enough that I'm still alive." He forced a smile upon his lips and made his way into the bedroom.  
  
Yuriko watched Stryker as he slowly walked away. Once he was out of sight, she looked at the living room again. Her eyes wandered at the open door to the other room. The blood from his knuckles still stained the silver adamantium barrier. The password device right next to it was also smudged with blood from when he punched it.  
  
She looked at the broken wooden chair that laid in the corner of the room and saw drops of blood on the carpet where he stood a while ago.  
  
Did she have the right to enjoy his suffering? She knew she did. She had every right to.  
  
After a while, she followed him into the bedroom. She stepped inside the room and saw him sitting on the side of the bed. His head was bowed down and it looked like he had something in his hands. It was his wife's picture frame.  
  
Stryker looked at the picture closer. His eyes examined every part of her face. She looked familiar --- as if he'd seen her before in a dream. He traced the contour of her face with his finger. He couldn't understand the warmth he felt when his finger ran over her smiling lips.  
  
He knew her. He knew....But he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember who she was. Was she his mother? His sister? A close friend? Why was that the only picture he had?  
  
The blood that oozed from his wound trickled down his forehead and fell on the face of the woman in the picture. He saw her face draped in red as his blood splattered on the picture frame's glass.  
  
Stryker suddenly cried out and threw the picture at the far end of the room. Its glass shattered into tiny shards as it hit the wall. His eyes, wide with terror, stared at the broken pieces of the frame that laid on the floor. The picture was still in tact, but he didn't want to look at it again.  
  
/"How could such a face bring so much comfort, and yet so much pain?"/ He asked himself.  
  
He noticed Yuriko in the room, but he didn't make a move. He didn't even look at her. He just stood there, staring at the floor.  
  
In a way, Yuriko knew how much William loved his wife. Her death was the reason why he ended up the way he did. She remembered the times in which he would talk to himself and mention her name. There were even times when he talked to the lobotomized Jason about her.  
  
If she lost someone who was so precious to her --- who meant the entire world to her, would she have also ended up the same way? Would she also see nothing but hatred and anger?  
  
She walked towards the cabinet and picked up the medical supplies she had left there earlier. She made her way to the other side of the room where Stryker was and placed the medical supplies on the bed right next to him. He still stood there staring at the wall.  
  
"William..." She whispered. She didn't want to waste any more time with his pathetic antics. If they were going to New York the next day, she had to get him ready.  
  
He didn't respond to her. He neither said nor did anything. He just continued to stare at the wall.  
  
She slowly reached out for his shoulder and motioned him to face her. She was quite surprised with what she saw. He looked nothing like the man who once controlled her. He was not even a fraction of the William Stryker she once knew.  
  
Half of his face was covered with blood. He looked like he was just an empty shell. His eyes looked into hers, but she saw nothing there. It was as if he was looking right through her.  
  
He slowly blinked then sat down on the side of the bed. His eyes continued to stare at nothingness. He didn't even look at her.  
  
She moved the supplies aside and sat down right next to him. She unpacked one of the moist towels and moved Stryker's face so that he was facing her. She brought the towel to his right temple and started to wipe the blood that tainted his skin.  
  
She still couldn't believe she was doing what she was doing. When she was under his control, she wanted nothing but his death. Everyday she wished that he would die in the most horrible, painful way. Most of all, she wished to be the one who would kill him.  
  
Whenever Stryker asked her to unleash her claws, she wanted to drive them into his torso. She wanted to stab him again and again until he vomited his own blood.  
  
But now she found herself wiping that blood away. Countless times that day she had the opportunity to kill him. She could have drowned him, stabbed him, cut his body to pieces, but she decided to save the bastard. Why? Because she couldn't let go of the past.  
  
Stryker didn't even flinch when Yuriko's towel brushed harshly against the swollen cut on his temple. He didn't even care anymore. He felt alone and confused and tired. The more he uncovered who he was, the more he wanted to forget. Or did he?  
  
The silence that enveloped the room was suddenly broken by the sound of Yuriko's voice. "My name is Yuriko Oyama."  
  
He looked at her but said nothing.  
  
Yuriko continued to wipe the blood off his face. The cut was deep, wide, swollen, and still bleeding. The only way to completely stop the bleeding was to have it stitched. But the only thing she had were strips of bandages, a roll of medical tape, and small bottles of medicine. She knew that would do for now.  
  
She rummaged through the different medicine bottles and found one that was labeled 'povidone-iodine antiseptic microbicide'. Oddly enough, she knew what it meant.  
  
It was probably due to the times Stryker took her down to the base's infirmary. There she was able to observe doctors in action. She saw them treat everything from bullet wounds, to minor burns, to damaged organs. It was a good thing she still recalled most of what they did.  
  
She opened the bottle and poured a small amount of the liquid onto a piece of bandage. She looked at the wound and slowly moved the application towards it.  
  
Without saying a word, Stryker suddenly grabbed Yuriko by the wrist. His jaw clenched as he looked into her eyes. He could feel her struggling as he held her wrist tightly.  
  
"I may have lost all of my memories, YURIKO OYAMA." He emphasized her name as he talked through gritted teeth. "But that doesn't mean I am crippled and decrepit." Yuriko winced as she felt the tightness of his grip. She was quite surprised that Stryker had the guts to confront her like that. After all, she was the one with the adamantium claws and the super human abilities. He was just an old man without a past.  
  
But the feeling of Stryker's hand against her skin still sent shivers up her spine. It reminded her too much of the control he once had on her body back when she was Lady Deathstrike.  
  
"I do not need your help or your pity. I can do this by myself." He said sternly.  
  
He snatched the bandage from her hand then released her from his grip. He stood up and walked towards the mirror that hung beside his desk. A sigh escaped from his lips as he once again came face to face with the man in the mirror.  
  
He still couldn't believe that he had lost all of his memories. An entire lifetime --- gone.  
  
He moved his face closer and had a clearer view of the swollen cut that ran across his forehead and temple. What ever hit him, hit him hard. Stryker exhaled and then pressed the bandage against his searing wound.  
  
The medicine caused a stinging, burning sensation that made him wince in pain. His teeth clenched as he continued to wipe the application against it.  
  
"You're rubbing it the wrong way." Yuriko said monotonously. She looked at him as he carelessly cleaned his injury. "Continue doing that, and you'll just irritate it."  
  
She really didn't care for him, but she needed him alive for her meeting with Professor Xavier. If the professor discovered that her memories had been erased in the transformation process, Stryker's mind was going to be her failsafe.  
  
"Who are you to tell me what I should and should not do? I don't even know you." He continued to rub the bandage against his wound. He didn't even look at her.  
  
"Funny. That was the same question I asked everyday, back when I was your slave." She stood up and walked beside him.  
  
Stryker saw her reflection standing right next to him in the mirror.  
  
Her eyes met his as she looked at his mirror image.  
  
"You brought me into this world to be your object, your possession. Everyday you ordered me around like you were my god but I did not even know who you were."  
  
"Stop...." Stryker suddenly said. There was something in her voice that hit him hard. It was as if every word sliced through his soul.  
  
"Do you know how painful that was for me?! I was forced to follow someone I did not know --- someone I did not believe in!!!"  
  
"Stop it!!!" He shouted again. He clutched his head with his hands. He couldn't understand it, but he saw vague images of her at the back of his mind. He even saw an image of her back when she was a little girl. But those images faded as quickly as they came. They passed by so fast that he couldn't even remember them anymore.  
  
"There were even times when I tried to reach out to you --- hoping that you would hear my plea, but whenever I did, you just dropped more of that DRUG at the back of my neck! You were my living hell, William Stryker!"  
  
"I SAID STOP IT!!!!" He turned towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders.  
  
His eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He saw tears running down her cheeks. Her sad eyes stared at him as he looked at her delicate face. She looked so innocent --- so fragile. Did he really do those things to her? He didn't want to believe it, but he saw it at the back of his mind. He saw her suffering. For a second there, he felt her pain.  
  
Yuriko brought her hand to her face and touched her cheek. She looked at her fingers and saw them wet with her own tears. She could finally cry.  
  
"Why are you even here?" He whispered under his breath. "You could have escaped. You could have left me to die. But you let me live. Why?"  
  
Stryker waited for an answer, but Yuriko gave him none. She just continued to stare at her tear-stained fingers.  
  
/"I can finally cry."/ She thought to herself.  
  
She suddenly noticed Stryker looking at her. His hands were still on her shoulders. She quickly pushed his arms away and took a step back. She didn't like how close he got that time. There was something strange about him and it made her feel uneasy.  
  
"How about you?" She asked him. "From the moment you saw me you knew I hated you. I threatened to kill you for god's sake! And yet you followed me. Now I'm the one asking the question, William. Why did you follow me?" She didn't even expect an answer.  
  
Stryker's eyebrows furrowed. His eyes wandered the room until they met hers. There was a brief moment of silence, until he parted his lips. "You're the only one I know."  
  
His eyes suddenly rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the floor.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED  
  
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	12. Unforgivable sinner

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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TOPWITCH, SKETTY24, TP96 and DIVINE GUARDIAN = THANK YOU so much for the reviews ! Topwitch, it's kewl that this fanfic made ya feel better (despite its angsty atmosphere . lol.). I hope this day went great for ya !  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = Chapter XII: Unforgivable Sinner  
  
Yuriko's form towered over him as she looked at his unconscious body. He probably couldn't take the fatigue and the pain anymore. Any man who had been through what he he'd been through that day would have also fainted in exhaustion.  
  
"William." She called out to him and gently kicked him on the shoulder.  
  
His body moved from the force of her kick, but that was the only movement it made. He was out cold.  
  
She kneeled beside him and tilted his head to her side. That gave her a clear view of his head injury. Her eyes hovered down to his closed eyes and noticed the calm look on his face. He may not be a threat to her anymore, but she still hated him as much as she hated him before.  
  
"You may claim that you are not the man you once were. But you still are, Stryker. No matter how hard you try you will still be the man I once knew." She said in a whisper.  
  
She stood up and retrieved the medical supplies from the bed. She made her way back to his side and sat right next to him. She wasn't sure if the supplies she had were enough to patch the wound. The cut was wider and deeper than she expected.  
  
Yuriko unpacked some of the bandages and pressed it against his injury. The white bandage slowly turned red as it absorbed the light bleeding that oozed from the cut. She tore wide pieces of medical tape and placed them over the dressing. That would hold the bandage for now.  
  
She realized she should have knocked Stryker out in the first place. Having him unconscious made things so much easier.  
  
She pulled him beside the nearest corner of the bed and placed him in a sitting position. He was still unconscious. His head drooped down as his back leaned against the bed.  
  
She unpacked more bandages and carefully wrapped them around his forehead. She didn't know how long the bandages would stop the bleeding, but it would keep his wound from getting infected later on.  
  
Yuriko moved to his right and noticed trails of blood running down his hand. She slowly rolled up his sleeve and saw more blood streaming down his arm. Her eyes caught sight of three puncture wounds that were located below his shoulder.  
  
Seeing those wounds brought back memories of the man who was just like her.....  
  
"Wolverine....". She whispered under her breath.  
  
She placed her hand on her stomach and remembered when he stabbed him there. She could still feel the pain when his adamantium claws mercilessly tore through her flesh. And yet she didn't hate Wolverine. She admired him and respected him.  
  
She knew she was going to meet him again soon. Tomorrow she will come face to face with the man who had defeated her. And this time, she was going to meet him as an ally --- as a friend --- as an equal.  
  
She took more bandages and firmly wrapped them around Stryker's arm. She gently rolled down his sleeve and looked at his unmoving form. Now that he was asleep, she could finally have time for herself. But she first had to make sure that he wouldn't cause any trouble just in case he regained his consciousness or his memory.  
  
Yuriko pulled the blanket off the bed and tore off a quarter of it with her claws. She kneeled down next to Stryker and moved his hands behind the leg of the bed that he was leaning against.  
  
Using the smaller piece that she tore from the blanket, she tied his hands and lower arms to the leg and made sure that the bind was tight and firm. She couldn't risk having him walk around freely. Because if he regained his memories while she was sleeping, it could possibly mean the end of her newly found freedom.  
  
Soon enough, she could already feel fatigue catching up with her too. For nearly 14 years she had done nothing but follow orders. In those fourteen years she had never slept nor rested. Even when Stryker asked her to go to bed, her mind would still keep on working. She would close her eyes and still see the images of the events that happened in the day that passed. It was one of the drug's side effects.  
  
But now she was finally free from that drug. She was now in control of her life. She could finally sleep after 14 years of torture. Sleep as much as she wanted to. Yuriko exhaustingly crawled on the bed and laid on her stomach. She felt the softness of the bed's cushion press against her body.  
  
She slipped the elastic band off her ponytail and felt some of her hair touch her face. She sighed with contentment as her cheek rubbed against the soft sheets. It was her first time to experience such comfort. Oh how long had she wished for that moment.  
  
Yuriko smiled as she slowly closed her eyes. She embraced the feeling of serenity that came with her sleep.  
  
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Stryker awoke from the glare of the sunlight that shone through the window. He was surprised to see himself sitting beside the bed. He didn't remember falling asleep there. He couldn't even believe that it was already morning. He tried to move his arms, but felt them tied behind his back.  
  
"What the?" He didn't even remember being tied up.  
  
He tried to move them again, but his hands remained bound to the leg of the bed. Whoever tied him there definitely did a good job. He made another attempt to set himself free, but the bind just got tighter around his wrists.  
  
He grunted in frustration. He knew who had put him there.  
  
"Yuriko Oyama!!!" He shouted.  
  
The bathroom door opened and out walked Yuriko.  
  
"I see you're already awake." She said coldly.  
  
His eyes were filled with anger as he looked at her. "I demand that you let me go this instant. This is unnecessary!" He continued to struggle against the bind.  
  
"I wouldn't struggle if I were you. You'll just make it tighter." She enjoyed watching him fight for his freedom. It made her seem sadistic, but she still couldn't forgive him for the fourteen years of pain she had endured. She was going to make him pay, bit by bit.  
  
Stryker knew she wasn't lying. The more he struggled, the tighter it got. He could almost feel the bind cutting the blood circulation in his hands.  
  
"Then let me go!" He shouted again. He didn't like how she was toying with him. He wasn't a toy for her to play with.  
  
Yuriko suddenly kneeled beside Stryker and grabbed him by the neck. She felt him tense up as her fingers wrapped around him tightly. She was now the one in control.  
  
"I'll let you go.....But first you'll have to listen to me." She squeezed his neck tighter and felt him struggling to breathe. She wanted him to feel what it was like to be strangled, suffocated and forced.  
  
"From now on you'll do what I tell to do and you'll comply with everything that I say. You're an unforgivable sinner, William Stryker. It's about time that you paid your debt. " Her voice was firm and commanding. She would never let him control her again.  
  
Yuriko stared into Stryker's blue eyes and saw fear in them. She savored the sight. "Do you understand?" She drove her adamantium nails against his skin, causing him to wince in pain.  
  
Stryker slightly nodded his head. He could barely move with her hand wrapped tightly around his neck. "Because if you get on my nerves ---" She brought her free hand to his face and extended the adamantium claws towards his eyes. "I'll make sure you won't see another sunrise. I guarantee that."  
  
Her claws suddenly sliced through the bind on his hands and she let him go from her grip.  
  
Stryker fell on his side, coughing and gasping for air. His eyes opened wide as he forced more oxygen into his lungs. He quickly placed his hand on his neck as he writhed on the floor, pounding on it with the side of his foot.  
  
"Pathetic." Yuriko said as she stood up. She couldn't believe that was the same man who had tortured her for so long. She saw him transform from a merciless, ruthless, manipulative bastard into a weak, pathetic, helpless bastard. Oh, how the tables have turned indeed.  
  
He still laid on the floor, gasping for air. His stocky form moved up and down as he breathed. He remembered her talk about her living hell. Now he knew he had just entered his.  
  
Why couldn't she forgive him? Did he really cause her so much pain? So much pain that forgiveness was not an option?  
  
Yuriko suddenly heard someone knocking on the front door.  
  
/"Who could that be now?"/ She asked herself. Aside from Stryker, she was the only one who went up to the suite.  
  
She looked down at him. "Stay there."  
  
"Where else would I go?" He asked weakly as he looked up at her.  
  
She scoffed at him and exited the bedroom.  
  
She quickly made her way to the front door and opened it. It was one of the hotel's attendants. He didn't look familiar to her, so he was probably a new employee.  
  
"Miss Oyama?" He asked politely.  
  
She smiled at him and answered back. "Yes, that's me."  
  
"May I please speak with Mr. Stryker?"  
  
"Um..." Yuriko wasn't really sure what to say. "I'm sorry but he's taking a bath right now. I'm afraid he can't be disturbed at the moment. Why?"  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED =) ... 


	13. Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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SKETTY24 = Heheh...It's not just Stryker who's going to remember his past.....Yuriko might remember some of her past too ! Man, I don't wanna too much of the plot away. LMAO!  
  
PENDRAGON4 = LOL! Sorry for the cliffhangers. By the way, since you mentioned Wolverine ......... (must...not give spoilers about this....chapter)  
  
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Chapter XIII: Meetings  
  
"The hotel just received a call from the White House." The attendant looked like he was trying to recall the details. "President McKenna wants to meet with him today. He said it was of utmost importance. The hotel will provide for your transportation to the airport and a private jet will be waiting for you there."  
  
Yuriko knew that things were about to get much more complicated.  
  
Stryker placed his hand on the side of the bed as he pushed himself off the floor. He rubbed his neck and remembered Yuriko's grip on it. If she had gone any tighter, she would have easily crushed his windpipe.  
  
His eyes suddenly looked at the door as Yuriko walked into the room.  
  
"We're leaving." She said as she walked towards the closet.  
  
"What?" He asked curiously. His eyes followed her.  
  
Yuriko opened the closet and rummaged through his clothes. "You're going to meet with the president today."  
  
"WHAT?!" He had a surprised look on his face. First he lost his memories, then he was found by a girl who wanted to kill him, then he discovered that he was a sadistic bastard, and now he was going to meet with the president?  
  
/"What next?!!!"/ He asked himself. Even he was starting to get angry with the man he used to be.  
  
She pulled out a business suit and placed on it on the bed.  
  
"Why will I meet with the president?!" He didn't even know who the president was. He wasn't even sure which president of what country she was talking about.  
  
She looked at him for a brief moment. "Because you have to." She went back to rummaging in his closet.  
  
"We're in a critical timeline right now, William. If we deny his request, he might have your anti-mutant projects investigated. The president doesn't know anything about the underground base and your weapon x military facilities. If he finds out, that would put both YOU and ME in the line. And the last thing we need is the US military hunting us down."  
  
She took out a tie and a pair of shoes and threw them on the bed right next to his business suit.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't even understand some of the terms she used. "Underground base? Military facility? Weapon X? Anti-mutant projects?!"  
  
Yuriko closed the closet and stared back at him. "JUST. PLAY. ALONG." She said cynically.  
  
Stryker groaned. He didn't even know half of what was going on around him. What made it worse was the fact that it was HIS life that he was going to role-play. It was HIS life and he knew nothing about it.  
  
She motioned her hand towards the clothes on the bed. "Now change into those clothes. You can't go to the White House looking like that."  
  
"You mean...Change into those clothes NOW?" He asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yes! Now!" She shouted. "Do you need me to explain everything to you?!"  
  
Without saying a word, he quickly took his sweater off.  
  
Her eyes opened wide as she saw him undressing in front of her. "In the bathroom! Change in the bathroom!" She said abruptly. The last thing she wanted to see was more of his skin.  
  
"Oh..... Yes." He said with an embarrassed look on his face.  
  
He quickly gathered the clothes from the bed and headed into the bathroom. How could a grown man like him act so stupid?! Now she probably thought he was losing his mind. He sighed and closed the door behind him.  
  
Yuriko felt relieved when he vanished from her sight. How dare he unclothe himself in front of her? Perhaps she struck too much fear into him. She remembered the embarrassed on his face and that thought almost made her smile. She never thought she'd see the day that William Stryker would be put in such a situation.  
  
She sat on the bed and ran her hands over the sheets. She knew that would be the last time she'll set foot in that hotel. Once they leave British Columbia, she would never go back there again. Being in that place just reminded her too much of her life as Lady Deathstrike.  
  
Her eyes wandered at the desk across the room and noticed its drawer slightly open.  
  
/"Huh? I didn't notice that before."/  
  
She crawled to the other side of the bed and stepped towards the desk. She opened the drawer and instantly knew she hit the jackpot. The drawer contained Stryker's credit cards, passbooks, ids, mobile phone, and some legal documents. It also had his spare eyeglasses.  
  
/"I should have remembered that he kept them here."/ She thought to herself.  
  
Another thing she knew that the 'new' Stryker didn't was that he was a VERY rich man. When she was his personal assistant, she managed all of his bank transactions. She knew everything from his pin number to the total amount of money he had on each bank. She was definitely the one in control now. She had all of his assets in her hands.  
  
She took the items out one by one and placed them on the desk. She thought she had already emptied the drawer, but noticed a brown envelope that had 'Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted' written on it. She took the envelope pulled out its contents.  
  
The envelope contained pictures of Professor Xavier's school and some documents about the mansion. One of the documents had the school's address and contact information, including its telephone number.  
  
Yuriko gently squeezed the paper as she looked at the phone number. She looked at the mobile phone that sat on the desk. She now had an opportunity to contact the mansion. But if someone answered the phone, what would she say?  
  
But she had to take the risk. After all, she had nothing to lose. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Logan still couldn't believe that Jean was gone. He made his way to the kitchen to get something to drink. He really didn't get that much sleep last night. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw her. He saw Jean's smile, he heard her voice, he felt her touch. Whoever thought images of her would become his nightmare?  
  
Why did she have to die? He tried to hide the pain, but it lingered in his gut like a virus he couldn't cure. He knew she would never choose him. Jean just loved Scott too much. But what if she survived the Alkali Lake incident? What if someday she realized that she truly loved Logan and not Scott?  
  
He angrily opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. He knew beers weren't allowed in the mansion, but he didn't feel like following orders at the moment.  
  
His eyes suddenly stared at the phone as it rang. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips twitched at he looked at the ringing phone. Nobody usually called the mansion that early in the morning. It was just 7:30am and most of the kids were still in the process of waking up.  
  
Either way, he knew it might be urgent so he walked to the phone and picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" He asked gruffly. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.  
  
Yuriko's eyes opened wide as she heard his voice. Wolverine. Her hand gripped the phone tighter. She didn't know what to say. Should she talk to him? Tell him who she was?  
  
= = = = = = = = = = =  
  
TO BE CONTINUED!!!! 


	14. A girl and two boys

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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SKETTY24 = Heehee...Don't worry about Yuriko ! She can definitely take care of herself =). As for Yuriko and the X-Men, the X-Men do know that Stryker can control mutants. After all, Scott was in his control once O.O!  
  
EBONY = Thanks for checking back after your trip ! Sounds like you had a pretty good time (babysitting O.O!). Hmmm...There's actually more to Wolverine and Deathstrike and and....there's actually something in this chapter about it o.O! Oooh!  
  
PENDRAGON4 = LOL! Okay...you got me! I did do that last cliffhanger on purpose. LMAO! But at least the next chap's here now ! Lol! And yeah, Wolvie still feels bad about the loss x.x!  
  
DU SOLEIL ORIENTAL = And here's more of it !  
  
TP96 = lol. I hope I'm not that evil now !  
  
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CHAPTER XIV: A girl and two boys  
  
"Hello?!" Logan asked again. "Hello?!!!". He waited for an answer, but there was only silence. He gritted his teeth in anger. "Look! I'm not in the mood for jokes right now!!! So if you're looking for trouble, then I suggest you go look somewhere else!!!"  
  
Yuriko was about to say something, when Stryker walked out of the bathroom.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" He asked as he saw her on the phone.  
  
"Don't try calling again, asshole!" Logan shouted and slammed the phone against its holder. "Damn kids!"  
  
He sighed and sat down on a chair. He placed his elbows on the kitchen counter and continued to drink his beer. Perhaps the alcohol would help him forget about Jean --- though he knew he wouldn't.  
  
"None of your business." Yuriko answered. She turned off the mobile phone and quickly placed all of Stryker's items in the envelope.  
  
Stryker was now fully dressed in his business suit. She hated seeing him in it as much as she hated seeing him in his military outfit.  
  
"By the way, I found your extra pair of glasses." She picked up the glasses from the table and tossed it at him.  
  
Stryker caught it and immediately put it on. "This is so much better." He said in a low voice.  
  
The sight of Stryker with his glasses and suit on made Yuriko feel uneasy. He was now slowly starting to look more and more like the man she once knew. If it weren't for the bandage on his head, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But other than that, something about him still didn't look right.  
  
She suddenly saw the end of his necktie hanging from his pocket as if he just shoved it in there.  
  
"You're tie. You didn't put it on." She pointed at the tie that hung from his pocket.  
  
"Oh. You mean this?" He took the tie from his pocket and showed it to her.  
  
"Put it on." She said sternly.  
  
"I don't need it." He answered back.  
  
"I don't care. Now put it on or I'll hang you with it!" She said furiously. Why was he even fussing over a stupid tie?  
  
"Okay, fine. I will." Stryker sighed and draped the tie over his neck. He held both of its ends and stared at them. "So --- what now?" He asked as he looked at Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean 'what now'?" He was definitely starting to get on her nerves. What was he trying to do? Act stupid on purpose? She knew amnesia caused memory loss, but it didn't cause someone's IQ to drop.  
  
Stryker's eyes looked blankly at her. It was as if he was waiting for her to say something more. He then pulled the tie off his neck. "Look, I know what this is. It's a tie. A necktie ----"He said as he held it up.  
  
"Of course it's a necktie! What do you think it is?! A shoe?!" She felt stupid as she shouted at him. They weren't children anymore to argue about such petty things.  
  
She noticed the dumbfounded look on Stryker's face and finally realized what was truly going on. A sigh of frustration escaped from her lips. "Come here." She said commandingly.  
  
"Are you going to kill me?" He asked. He seemed hesitant as he approached her.  
  
"William. If I wanted to kill you, I already would have." She said with an imposing tone in her voice. Of course she wanted to kill him, but it was not yet the right time or the right place. She knew he was still of some importance.  
  
As soon as he came within an arm's reach away from her, she snatched the tie from his hand and draped it over his neck. She could see the nervousness in his eyes as she fixed the necktie around his collar.  
  
"How could you forget something as simple as this?!" She asked. Her eyes were focused on her hands as she talked. "You practically did this everyday!"  
  
Stryker didn't answer back. He just looked at her. There was something about her at that time that made her seem so familiar. Like he had known her for a long time.  
  
Yuriko smoothed his necktie and tucked it under his suit.  
  
/"What am I? His babysitter?"/  
  
She moved her hands up to his collar and straightened it. As she did, she suddenly saw in image in her mind. She saw something --- like a flash of memory.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Yuriko closed her eyes and clutched her head in her hands. She felt so confused as the image continued to flicker in her mind. It looked like an old movie --- like a dream --- like something she should remember but couldn't. It all moved so fast. She couldn't understand it.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
She saw the image of herself standing in a room. She was wearing a formal dress. What was the occasion? What was she doing there? She saw two other people in the room with her. Both of them were male.  
  
One of them was Wolverine. He was there too and looked neither a day younger nor a day older. He was smiling, and his smile looked so familiar. He was sitting on a table right next to her. He looked so relaxed and happy. Was that the same Wolverine she fought? Was her mind playing tricks on her? What was going on in her head?  
  
Then in front of her stood the other man. She saw his face. It was Stryker? He was as young as the two of them. She barely recognized him. He was also in a formal black outfit and she was fixing his tie. He was smiling as he talked to her.  
  
She could also see herself and Wolverine talking, but no sound came out of their lips. There was just silence.  
  
She saw herself laugh, then Stryker laughed, and then Wolverine walked up to Stryker and smacked him on the back of the head. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. All three of them --- laughing together? Why were they even there?  
  
Then Wolverine walk up to her and ran a finger down cheek --- and ---- and everything suddenly moved so fast that the last thing she saw was her, standing in the same room, alone, and in her Lady Deathstrike outfit.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Yuriko cried out as she opened her eyes. She was back in the empty bedroom again. A part of her wanted the dream to last longer, but she couldn't even understand it.  
  
What did she see? Was it an illusion? She saw herself, and Wolverine and Stryker. What was her mind trying to say? Why did she see it? What was it?! Could it have been a part of her past?  
  
/"No. No! It couldn't! It was impossible!"/  
  
She could feel her heart beating faster as she asked herself more questions. Her fingers tightened around her head. She wanted to squeeze the answers out of her brain.  
  
"Yuriko!" Stryker shouted.  
  
Her eyes opened wide as she heard his voice. She saw him looking at her. She remembered seeing him in her dream. He looked so young and affectionate. She remembered them laughing in unison. All three of them looked so happy.  
  
Why was he even in her dream? And why was Logan there too? None of it made any sense. 


	15. Survival of the fittest

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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SKETTY24 = reads your review ...Whoa O.O! Wedding, you say? Hmmm....As usual, I must keep myself from giving away spoilers. LMAO! The 'tie – shoe' thing I put in for a little comic relief! Lol! And come on, she was getting frustrated. LOL!!! (Stryker was acting pretty duh, but you can't blame him. Even I can't tie a necktie x.x!)  
  
PENDRAGON4 = The vision will definitely play a bigger part later on ! Just you wait and see.  
  
DU SOLEIL ORIENTAL = It is true that the X-Men exposed Stryker's experiments to the president at the end of X2. But in this fanfic, we assume that the president had decided to talk things over with Stryker instead. He probably didn't pay too much attention to the papers the xmen gave him. lol. And if the president did know about the underground base, it would make the plot of this fanfic too complicated and stretched x.x.  
  
DIVINE GUARDIAN = I hope ya have fun with your 6 week trip =)! If you want, I could email you all the chapters once the story's completed =)!  
  
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CHAPTER 15: Survival of the fittest  
  
"Are you okay?!" He asked again, but she didn't reply. Her eyes just stared into nothingness. He slowly reached out to touch her shoulder.  
  
"Don't touch me!!!" She shouted as she slapped his hand away. Her eyes looked at him furiously. She couldn't admit it, but he was able to snap her awake from her trance.  
  
"I was just trying to help." He said with a firm tone in his voice.  
  
She stared deep into his eyes. "Well I don't need your help."  
  
Yuriko felt the sincerity of his action, but nothing would ever change the way she looked at him. Not even that dream, or any of his attempts to win her forgiveness.  
  
She walked to the desk and picked up Stryker's envelope. "We better get going. The sooner we meet with the president, the sooner we can meet with our old friends." She emphasized the word 'friends'. She was actually referring to the X-Men.  
  
Stryker's eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"Friends?" He asked. "Our friends?"  
  
So there were other people who knew him? Perhaps they could help him regain his memory. At least now he knew that she wasn't the only one he had in his life. But considering the man he once was, what kind of friends did he have?  
  
A sly smile curled up her lip. "You'll know soon enough." She really didn't know how the professor and his mutants would react to their sudden 'resurrection'.  
  
"How about you?" He suddenly asked. "You can't meet with the president looking like that." He pointed at the damaged, dirty clothes she was wearing. He finally had the opportunity to ridicule her. He almost wanted to smile.  
  
She opened the door and glared at him. "Don't think of me as stupid, William. Unlike you, I know this place like the back of my hand. There are some clothing shops on the ground floor. I'll buy my clothes from there."  
  
Yuriko walked out the bedroom and towards the front door. Stryker followed after her.  
  
"You have money?" He asked curiously.  
  
She suddenly unleashed her claws and pointed them towards his neck. "I'm getting tired of your questions. If I were you, I'd stop asking them and just follow me."  
  
Yuriko was quite surprised that Stryker didn't flinch at the sight of her claws. There used to be fear in his eyes whenever she unraveled her adamantium blades, but now he seemed unaffected by them. He didn't even shy away when she brought them close to his neck. He just stared into her eyes.  
  
"Okay. If you say so." He had a mocking tone in his voice.  
  
She didn't like how he was acting. He was slowly starting to lose his fear of her, and she didn't like that one bit. She wanted him to fear her. She wanted him to fear her mere presence.  
  
She retracted her claws and walked to the elevator with Stryker following a few paces behind. She pressed the down button and waited for the elevator to reach their floor.  
  
Much to her surprise, he suddenly walked in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned his back against the wall and smiled at her shrewdly.  
  
"You can't threaten me anymore, Yuriko Oyama." He said in a rather cocky way.  
  
He'd had enough of her threats. He was tired of being a slave to her every command. So maybe he did do those awful things to her, but that was in the past. He wasn't even sure if he really did do them. The only proof he had was those visions and he didn't even trust their authenticity.  
  
Yuriko raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" She was right. Stryker was definitely losing his fear of her.  
  
The smile on his lips grew wider. "Because you need me, Yuriko. I have something you want and you have something I want. And that is why you're not going to kill me. Because we need each other."  
  
She looked into his eyes and laughed. "Poor William...." She said with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
A confused look formed on Stryker's face as he saw Yuriko's reaction.  
  
"I don't need you." She ran her fingers through his hair. "I just need that big, beautiful brain of yours." She patted him on the head then moved her hand away.  
  
There was a sly smile on Yuriko's lips as she continued to talk. "You see, I can afford to cut off some of your body parts, and still leave you alive and breathing. That would be enough for me to get what I want, but can you live with that?"  
  
The fear was definitely back in Stryker's eyes. He gulped as he looked at her.  
  
She suddenly pinned him against the wall and moved her lips closer to his ear. "So tell me, William. Which body part should I cut off first?" She asked in a whisper. She smelled the fear in him and that fueled her.  
  
"Should we start with your ----"  
  
Yuriko was suddenly cut off as the elevator door opened.  
  
The elevator operator had a shocked look on his face as he saw the display in front of him.  
  
She quickly pushed herself off Stryker and straightened her clothes. She looked at the elevator operator and smiled. "Mr. Stryker and I were just having a little talk, ---". Her eyes wandered at the operator's nametag. "- --Ted."  
  
Stryker was still pressed against the wall. He could still feel his heart racing. It looked like the tables weren't really on his side after all. And he truly had no choice but to follow her every command.  
  
Yuriko looked at him and gave him a fake smile. "Shall we go, Mr. Stryker?"  
  
Stryker wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Um, yes. Yes, Ms. Oyama. I believe we should go now." He relaxed himself then smoothed his necktie. He saw Yuriko glare at him as he followed her into the elevator.  
  
The elevator door closed and Yuriko knew she had just regained her place at the top of the food chain.  
  
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	16. A trip to the white house

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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TP96 = LMAO! Um...his thumb?! Ehehehehe  
  
SKETTY24 = That was actually my favorite line in the chap too ! Kinda shows Stryker who's boss!!! Oh yeah!!! Heheh...Well, I made this chapter longer ! Almost twice as long as the last one !  
  
EBONY = Ah...home sweet home indeed ! Ooohhh...so you're a Wolvie/Yuriko shipper, eh? I don't wanna give away too much of the plot, but there's definitely sumthin going on between the two of them !  
  
PENDRAGON4 = Don't worry about Stryker going all Rambo on Yuriko....I think now he knows who he's dealing with. Lol. And yeah, I gotta thank whacko- Jason for that friends reference. Eheheh  
  
GREENFREAK1402 = Great to see reading the fic in liking it ! Thank you so much for the review. =D!  
  
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CHAPTER 16: A trip to the white house  
  
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Yuriko Oyama, with her newly acquired business suit, made her way out of the hotel with William Stryker. Once again she looked like his 'personal assistant'. Her hair was in a tight ponytail, and she was now holding onto a newly purchased suitcase where she put all of Stryker's items. The only thing missing were the eyeglasses she usually wore when they went out on their business trips.  
  
She hated seeing herself in that attire again. It reminded her too much of her previous life as his mind-controlled assistant. But Yuriko knew that that would be the last time she'll ever play that role. After their meeting with President McKenna, she will never be Stryker's subordinate again.  
  
A limousine waited for them in front of the hotel's entrance. Yuriko's eyebrow arched up as she saw the extravagant car. Knowing the president definitely had its advantages.  
  
"That's our car?" Stryker asked as he pointed at the limo.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Stryker." She said reluctantly. She despised treating him as her superior, but she had to act like his assistant as long as there were other people around.  
  
A hotel attendant stood by the car and opened the backseat's door for them. Stryker entered the car first then Yuriko followed after him. Right after the attendant closed the door, Yuriko pushed a button that activated the limousine's divider. The driver could neither see them nor hear them now.  
  
Stryker's heart jumped as he saw the divider close. He didn't like it whenever they were alone. He heard the car engine start and they drove away from the hotel.  
  
He looked at Yuriko and saw her staring out the window on her side of the seat. "Where are we going?" He asked with a hint of fear in his voice.  
  
"We're going to meet with the president, remember?" She asked. Her eyes were focused on the view outside the tainted window.  
  
She sighed and turned to look at Stryker. "Okay, William. I believe this is now the right time to brief you."  
  
He suddenly pressed against his side of the car as she turned around to face him. He didn't want to admit it, but she now had him on his toes. "Brief me? About what?" He could barely recall what she told him in the suite about their meeting with the president.  
  
"Just shut up and listen! We are going to meet with the president of the United States of America today. His name is Richard McKenna and you've known him for 5 years. Once we meet him, he'll probably ask some questions about your anti-mutant projects. I'm not sure what questions he'll ask, but tell him that you've decided to terminate them."  
  
Since Stryker didn't have any more knowledge about his previous work as an anti-mutant activist, she was now practically the one in control of his projects. His last major project was the Alkali Lake base. And since it had been destroyed, she deemed the project 'closed' and 'terminated'. Other than that, she never wanted to see another anti-mutant project in his name again.  
  
She stared into his eyes. "Do you understand?"  
  
"I --- I guess." He said blankly. What anti-mutant projects was she talking about? What kind of work was he even involved in? He didn't even know he knew the president in a personal level.  
  
She exhaled in frustration. "Look, just try to remember as much as you can about what I told you. If all else fails, just let me do all the talking."  
  
Stryker didn't say anything. He just nodded. He definitely had no idea what was going on and what was going to happen next. He felt like an innocent pawn in a complex game of chess.  
  
/"Chess?"/ He thought to himself. How could he know the game chess and not know where he was born? He couldn't even remember his mother's name.  
  
He moved each of his fingers as he whispered each chess piece. "Rook, pawn, king, queen, knight, bisho ---"  
  
Yuriko's eyes darted at him. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously. Stryker had definitely been acting weird ever since she found him by the river.  
  
He suddenly closed his hands. "N – nothing." His eyes wandered to the view outside his window.  
  
/"How could I remember those things and not remember the simplest facts of my life?"/ He thought to himself. He wasn't even sure if his mind was functioning correctly anymore. Was he on the verge of going insane?  
  
After an hour's trip, the car drove into a small airport where a private jet was parked.  
  
"Where here." Yuriko said as the car stopped.  
  
Stryker's eyes looked at the wide, empty area outside his window. "Where are we? Aren't we supposed to be in ---" He closed his eyes as if he was trying to remember something. "DC --- Wa ---". He suddenly saw an image of the White House in his mind. He saw himself walking down its halls. And he wasn't alone --- he was with Yuriko. "Washington DC." He opened his eyes. "This isn't Washington DC. Where's the --- White House?"  
  
Yuriko's eyebrows furrowed as she noticed his erratic behavior.  
  
Was he slowly starting to remember?  
  
A White House agent suddenly opened the door on Stryker's side of the car. Stryker wasn't sure what to do next, but he stepped out of the car nonetheless. Yuriko composed herself to be his 'personal assistant' again and stepped out after him.  
  
The agent closed the door and shook Stryker's hand. He noticed the bandage on Stryker's forehead, but refrained to make any reference to it.  
  
"Mr. Stryker. I'm glad to see your immediate response to the president's request." The White House agent seemed to know him. "He had wanted to talk to you ever since last night's telecast." The agent added.  
  
Stryker smiled as he shook the agent's hand. "Yes. I'm glad too. Yuriko informed me about it this morning and I knew I had to go meet with President McKenna at once." He really wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew it was the right thing to do at the moment.  
  
Yuriko's eyes opened wide at Stryker's current behaviour. She wanted to knock some sense into him. The previous Stryker never talked like that to an agent. He was mostly formal, quiet and domineering. And he never referred to her in her first name.  
  
The agent led the two of them to the private jet. Yuriko remembered flying with him in that jet before. Whenever the president needed Stryker's advice about mutants, they would ride that jet to Washington DC. Stryker would sit by the window and drink his wine, while she sat on the far end of the cabin, neither doing nor saying anything. But deep inside she knew that this flight was going to be different.  
  
The agent opened the door to the jet's private cabin. "Enjoy the flight, Mr. Stryker. Ms. Oyama." He smiled and nodded at the two of them.  
  
Stryker and Yuriko entered the cabin and the agent closed the door behind them.  
  
"Wow. This is a pretty good plane." Stryker said as he lifted his eyebrows.  
  
The private cabin had six reclining seats, a counter with drinks and appetizers, a video panel on the wall, a smooth wooden table with business magazines, windows that had blinds, and cabinets for storage.  
  
His eyes wandered to the food and drinks on the counter. He saw two bottles of wine and some plates of appetizers. Some of the food he recognized, some he didn't. Either way, all of them looked good.  
  
"Food." He whispered under his breath.  
  
He walked up to the counter and grabbed the bowl of pitted grapes. He sat on one of the reclining chairs and started eating.  
  
Yuriko just stood by the door as she watched him. She had a dumbfounded look on her face as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The new Stryker was definitely filled with surprises. What next? He'll hug a mutant kid rather than crack its head open?  
  
Stryker noticed her staring at him and he stopped from popping another grape into his mouth.  
  
"What?" He asked. He ate another one. "I don't know how long it's been since I last ate, but I can eat an entire cow right now." He said with his mouth half-full.  
  
She looked at him without saying anything. This trip was definitely going to be different than any of the ones they've had before. The previous Stryker didn't even talk to her or merely glance at her during the half- hour flight. But this 'new' one looked like he could talk the entire day. Everything felt so awkward, so strange.  
  
He looked at her again. "Are you just going to stand there?" He asked. He took a grape from the bowl and tossed it to her. "Here. Have one."  
  
She caught it with her hand, but her eyes remained focused on him. What was he trying to do? Win her over with a lousy piece of fruit? Yuriko looked at the grape as she rolled it between her fingers. It felt so smooth and plump. She knew it was sweet and sumptuous, but she had already lost her desire for food. She couldn't even remember the last time she ate.  
  
When she was under Stryker's control, she wasn't allowed to eat anything. She got her nutrients from a small narrow tube that Stryker plugged into her stomach everyday. A thick, watery fluid would flow through that tube into her body and that served as her daily sustenance.  
  
She remembered the excruciating pain she went through with that daily ordeal. While she saw other people eat and enjoy their meal, while HE ate and enjoyed his meal, she had to wait until the end of the day to get her own sustenance from a needle and a tube that were mercilessly plugged into her delicate skin.  
  
Yuriko is not even certain if her insides are human anymore. Stryker had treated her so much like a robot that she almost felt like one. She looked at the plump grape again. Will she ever taste its sweetness? She gritted her teeth and crushed the grape in her hand. Its juices flowed from the sides of her clenched fist and trickled down to her wrist.  
  
"Don't you want to eat?" Stryker asked as he saw her action.  
  
"No." She said coldly. She walked up to him and grabbed the bowl of grapes from his hands.  
  
"Hey!" He shouted.  
  
She suddenly slammed it against his head, knocking him unconscious on the seat. The grapes rolled off the bowl and fell on the table and on the carpeted floor of the cabin. She dropped the empty plastic bowl right next to his seat.  
  
In that one moment, she preferred the silent, uncaring Stryker again. The new one just made her feel too uneasy. There was something in his voice that made her feel uncomfortable. And the way his eyes looked at her made her stomach churn. He just reminded her too much of the Stryker she saw in her mind, the man she saw with Wolverine.  
  
She sat on the chair in front of him and saw the spilt grapes on the table. She picked one up and looked at it closely. Oh what a luxury it would be to taste food again. To feel its juices sipping down your throat, its taste tingling your taste buds.  
  
She slowly inserted one into her mouth. The grape's smooth skin pressed against her lips. She closed her mouth around it and tasted its sweetness as its juices flowed onto her tongue.  
  
Yuriko closed her eyes and savored the moment. She felt so alive and so human. There was a feeling of satisfaction as the crushed grape move down to her stomach. She was finally eating. She picked up another one and ate it. She felt so hungry.  
  
= = = = = =  
  
TBC =D 


	17. Meet the president of the USA

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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CAPT. JOHN O' HAGAN = LMAO! I don't know why, but I chuckle whenever I see your name. LOL! It just reminds me so much of Super Troppers! Lol! And since I'm currently writing a serious X-Men fanfic with Stryker in it, Cox's Capt. O' Hagan is the last thing I want in my mind. LOL! (yeah. Next thing you know, Stryker's managing a bunch of state troopers. Lmao!). Thank you so much for your kind compliments ! It's awesome that you're really enjoying this fic =D! And yes...I will continue to update quickly until this story is finished !  
  
SKETTY24 = Aaahh...You can just imagine tasting your very first food. ! No wonder Yuriko enjoyed her first bite so much! Yeah...it's weird that Stryker's acting so 'friendly'. But then, he did just get his brain wiped out .!  
  
CHATTYPANDAGIRL = Thank you so much for your reviews !!! It's great to know that you're enjoying this story ! Yeah, fanfiction.net doesn't have much Yuriko fanfics going around, so I knew I just had to write one (with a touch of Stryker and Wolverine. Lol.). I hope you enjoy this chap :=)!  
  
TP96 = LMAO! Stryker acting like an imbecile? You ain't seen nothing yet, buddy. LMAO!!! Thanks for reviewing !  
  
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CHAPTER 17: Meet the president of the USA  
  
The agent opened the door and saw Stryker 'sleeping' in one of the seats. Yuriko was sitting in front of him with a bowl of macadamia nuts in her hand.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Oyama. Please inform Mr. Stryker that we are already about to land." The agent smiled and closed the door.  
  
Yuriko placed the bowl on the table and walked towards Stryker's sleeping form. She picked up the empty grape bowl from floor and looked at him.  
  
"Stryker. Wake up. We're here." She said commandingly.  
  
Stryker didn't move. His eyes remained unopened.  
  
She gripped the bowl tightly and smacked it hard against the left side of his head.  
  
Stryker's head flailed like a rag doll as the bowl hit him hard on the face. He fell off his seat with his hands clutching his head. A look of agony could clearly be seen on his face.  
  
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" He shouted. "You didn't have to do that!" He winced in pain as he lifted himself from the floor  
  
Yuriko dropped the bowl and walked to the cabin's door. She turned around to look at him. "Compose yourself. We're going to land soon." She said uncaringly.  
  
Stryker rubbed the back if his neck and sighed in frustration.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." He whispered sarcastically.  
  
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He soon found himself and Yuriko being escorted by two agents through the corridors of the White House. He looked at the pictures and decorations that hung on the walls. Everything looked so familiar. It looked so much like the place he saw in his mind. He felt as if he'd been there before, walking down the same halls with the same people.  
  
/"This is the White House."/ He thought to himself. /"I've been here before."/  
  
He looked to his side and saw Yuriko walking right next to him. In the image he had, he saw her there too. She was also holding onto a suitcase and also had the same hairstyle and business suit on. The only thing that made this Yuriko different was her lack of eyeglasses.  
  
They stopped before a door and one of the agents opened it. Stryker and Yuriko entered a room that looked like a reception area.  
  
A white house agent stood on each corner of the room. There was middle- aged woman sitting behind a desk and she seemed to be fixing some papers. She looked up and saw them enter the room.  
  
"Good morning, Mr. Stryker." She said with a smile. "The president is waiting for you inside." She motioned her hand towards the door on the left side of the room.  
  
Stryker smiled and nodded at her. "Thank you." He made his way to the door with Yuriko following behind him.  
  
The receptionist was actually surprised that Stryker had allowed the young woman to accompany him to the oval office. He always asked her to stay and sit in the reception area like a dog, where she would endlessly fill the room with the sound of her cracking knuckles.  
  
"William." The president said as he saw Stryker enter. He was also surprised to see his assistant with him. "Ms. Oyama, I presume."  
  
Yuriko smiled and closed the door behind them.  
  
"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. President." Stryker walked up to McKenna and smiled as he shook his hand.  
  
/"What are you doing?!"/ Yuriko thought.  
  
McKenna's eyebrows furrowed at Stryker's recent action. "Ah yes. It's nice to have you here again too, William." He forced a smile upon his lips. Stryker was acting strange. Whenever Stryker entered his office, he usually started their conversation with his various plans to eradicate all mutant life on the planet. Now he looked like he wanted to talk about something else.  
  
The president suddenly noticed the bandage that ran across Stryker's forehead.  
  
"What happened to you?" He asked as he pointed out the bandage.  
  
Stryker and Yuriko were suddenly taken aback by the president's question. Yuriko knew they couldn't tell him what really happened. Out of panic, both of them answered in unison.  
  
"We got into a car accident." Yuriko said.  
  
"I fell down the stairs." Stryker said.  
  
Their eyes suddenly darted at each other, and they talked at the same time again.  
  
"Mr. Stryker fell down the stairs." Yuriko said abruptly.  
  
"I got into a car accident." Stryker said.  
  
The president had a confused look in his face as he looked at the two of them. He had no idea what was going on with his anti-mutant advisor and his personal assistant.  
  
Stryker and Yuriko looked at each other and talked again in unison.  
  
"We get into a car accident." Both of them said.  
  
Yuriko quickly put on a fake smile on her face. "I think Mr. Stryker hit his head too hard." She said as she placed a hand on Stryker's shoulder.  
  
President McKenna still looked confused. "Yes, I'm --- I'm starting to believe that."  
  
He looked at Stryker curiously. "Are you sure you're okay, William?"  
  
Stryker raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine! I'm very fine."  
  
The president looked sideways and nodded. He placed his hands in his pocket then leaned against his desk. "William..." He said as he looked back at Stryker. "Do you know why I called you here?"  
  
Stryker's eyes looked at Yuriko, then he looked at the president. "You --- want to talk about my --- anti-mutant operations?" He asked. His voice was filled with uncertainty and that bothered McKenna.  
  
"So you weren't able to see my announcement last night." The president said firmly.  
  
"You're announcement?" Stryker asked.  
  
/"What announcement?"/ Yuriko asked herself. Even she wasn't aware of the president's announcement. And the announcement was supposedly relevant to them too.  
  
"I'm sorry, William." McKenna suddenly said. "But I might ask you to terminate some of your projects." The president looked at Stryker, waiting for his reaction.  
  
McKenna knew that Stryker had always wanted to unleash his anti-mutant plans all over the world. The man wanted to eradicate all forms of mutant life. The only thing that he needed was the president's approval. But now, that approval seemed impossible.  
  
"I'm really sorry, William." The president added. He just wasn't Stryker's superior. In a way, he also considered himself as his friend.  
  
Stryker had no idea what the president just told him. He looked at Yuriko and she slightly nodded her head. Was she telling him to agree with the president? Despite the fact that the young woman wanted him dead, it was her who got him this far. So he decided to follow her anyway.  
  
He looked at the president and shrugged. "Okay." He said, smiling.  
  
McKenna's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" He asked curiously. The William Stryker he knew would have fought with every ounce of his humanity to uphold his anti-mutant projects. But this Stryker he was talking to didn't even seem to care. He seemed willing to give up a decade of work with just one word.  
  
"I said okay." Stryker said with his hands together in front of him. "That is --- what you want, right, Mr. President?" He asked curiously. Why would the president question his decision? Didn't he just agree with him?  
  
"Well, of course that's what I want." The president said. His face was still filled with confusion. What was Stryker up to? Did he have another plan up his sleeve? He'd known him do some drastic things before, but his response to the request was too far-fetched. Stryker didn't even seem like himself.  
  
"That settles it then." Stryker said.  
  
The president nodded his head. "Yes. I believe it does."  
  
McKenna was also surprised that Stryker didn't question his sudden change of decision regarding the mutant matter. Something about Stryker's recent actions reminded him too much of Senator Kelly when the senator suddenly refused to support the mutant registration act. Why was everyone slowly starting to support the mutants?  
  
Stryker noticed the baffled look on the president's face. "Is there anything else, mister president?"  
  
The president suddenly snapped out of his trance when he heard Stryker's voice. "No. I believe that's all for now. Thank you very much for your time, William."  
  
"It's been a pleasure." Stryker smiled and shook the president's hand.  
  
McKenna smiled back at him and accepted his courtesy. Still, the confused look on his face lingered. He really expected more of a fight from William. Perhaps his colleague had gone through something that gave him a change of heart, just like Senator Kelly.  
  
"By the way, is there anything else I can do for you?" The president asked.  
  
Yuriko suddenly stepped up. "Mr. Stryker had actually considered going to the mutant school to talk with the professor. He believes that the best way to co-exist with them, and to defend ourselves from them, is to understand them."  
  
McKenna crossed his arms over his chest. He was quite startled when Yuriko mentioned the word 'co-existence'. Just when did Stryker consider co- existing with the mutants? The only thing he wanted to do to them was eradicate them. This reformed Stryker was definitely tugging at his curiosity.  
  
"So you're asking transportation to Xavier's school for the gifted?" The president asked, looking at Stryker.  
  
Stryker's eyes darted to Yuriko, then the president. "Yes. I would love that." He had a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Once again, he wasn't sure what he just got himself into.  
  
The president went behind his desk and pressed a button on the telephone. "Prepare a helicopter for Col. Stryker and Ms. Oyama. They are going to depart for New York soon."  
  
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	18. And the reason is you

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chap 17 : SKETTY24, CAPT. O'HAGAN, TP96, CHATTYPANDAGIRL, GIVEGODTHEGLORY and MADSCIENTIST-01.  
  
Heheh...you may all be wondering why I update so fast. Well, that's because I currently have --- NO SCHOOL! LOL! I just graduated from college, so I spend most of my time at home, looking for a job (and writing this fanfic. Lol o!)  
  
Oh...CHATTYPANDAGIRL asked if I am always inspired to right this fanfiction. I guess so =D! I've actually started drawing it too O.O!!!  
  
If this story would have a "cover", this would be it....  
  
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Here's another art featuring Yuriko, Stryker and Wolverine.  
  
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(I am not condoning nudity :P! lmao!). Note the younger Stryker. I guess this art kinad foreshadows some of their past (which will play a big role in the story later on =)).  
  
CAPT. O' HAGAN = LMAO!!! Can you actually imagine Stryker commanding the state troops to infiltrate the X-Mansion?!!! LMAO!!! One of them might even end up hitting on Rogue or Storm or Jean!  
  
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CHAPTER 18: And the reason is you  
  
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President McKenna let Stryker and Yuriko stay in one of the White House's guestrooms while their helicopter was made ready for transport.  
  
Stryker sat down on the sofa and rested his back against it. He crossed his arms over his stomach and closed his eyes.  
  
"When is this all going to end?" He asked frustratingly. He looked at Yuriko and saw her standing by the window. She seemed to be looking at the open area where the mechanics were getting the helicopter ready for the trip.  
  
Yuriko placed her hand on the transparent glass of the window as she watched the events outside. Soon they will reach the school for gifted youngsters. There she will find Professor Xavier --- the only man who could possibly bring back her memories. And there was also that other man, the man who was just like her ----  
  
"Wolverine." She whispered under her breath.  
  
She then remembered the image she had, about her and Stryker and Wolverine. When she saw it in her mind, everything looked so real. Even if the image happened so fast, so fast that she could barely see anything, she could still feel it lingering at the back of her mind like a long lost memory.  
  
/"Did any of that really happen?"/ Her hand against the window closed into a tight fist. None of that could have happened, even if, even if a part of her wished it did. But why was Wolverine there? And Stryker, he was so young. He looked as young as her.  
  
She turned around and saw him resting on the sofa with his eyes closed. She felt so confused. If that really happened in the past, if the three of them really knew each other before, then how come they all ended up the way they did?  
  
Wolverine had become a wandering warrior who knew neither of them. She had ended up as Stryker's mindless killer, and Stryker had turned into a monster fueled only by hatred and anger towards all mutant life. Where did the past go? What happened?  
  
Yuriko was sure of one thing --- The past had been forgotten, left to rot away in the untouched reaches of their minds.  
  
"So where are we going this time?" Stryker asked as he looked at her.  
  
Yuriko's eyes were still focused on the view outside the window. "Our final destination."  
  
"What do you mean our 'final destination'?" He asked curiously.  
  
"It's going to be our last stop, William." She said coldly. "After this, there will be no more running. No more fear. Just the truth." She will finally be able to uncover their past. But after that, where will she go? What if she really didn't have a past? Will she stay and work with the mutants? Was she going to kill Stryker?  
  
"So after this, you're going to kill me." There was fear in his eyes, but there was bravery in his voice. "After you've used me, you're going to kill me, aren't you?"  
  
Yuriko turned to him and nodded. She promised herself she was going to kill him, and she was going to keep that promise. She didn't care if he couldn't remember who he was or the things he had done, but the fact that he did them stayed in her mind.  
  
"I'm not afraid." Stryker said firmly. "I have nothing to lose." His eyes stared into hers.  
  
She walked towards the sofa and sat beside him.  
  
Stryker was quite surprised when Yuriko sat beside him. What did she want from him now? Was she going to give him another threat? Another taste of pain is? He looked at her and saw her staring into his eyes. She looked so lost, so confused.  
  
"Why did you do it, William?" She asked, her voice almost shaking.  
  
"What are you talking about?" There was fear in his eyes. No, he didn't fear her. He feared something else --- something that came from the inside.  
  
"Why did you do it, William?! Why did you do it to me?!" Her voice was louder. She knew he couldn't remember any of the past, but she knew it was still somewhere in his subconscious. She wanted to crack him open.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!!!" He shouted back. Somehow he knew what she was talking about. He could feel it. He knew.  
  
"Why me, William?! WHY DID YOU MAKE ME SUFFER?!!!" She shouted again. She could see it in his eyes. There was something there.  
  
"I DON'T KNOW!! I DON'T KNOW!!!" He suddenly placed his head in his hands. He wanted to throw up. He knew the answers were somewhere in his mind, but he couldn't find them. But how come he saw images of her there? How come thoughts of her lingered in his mind? And not just her...He also saw another man. Another man who looked familiar.  
  
"YOU KNOW, WILLIAM!!! WHY ME?!!!" She grabbed his arm as she shouted the words at him. "WHY DID YOU GIVE ME SO MUCH PAIN?!!!" She could feel the tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Stryker suddenly grabbed her by the arms and pinned her down on the sofa.  
  
"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?!!!" There was anger in his eyes. He looked like another person. "Do you want to know I made you go through all THAT?!!!"  
  
Yuriko stared at him in fear. She couldn't understand it, but she couldn't find the energy to unleash her claws. She could barely make herself move as his weight pressed down on her body. She just stared helplessly into his eyes.  
  
"BECAUSE I..." Stryker's suddenly stopped and his eyes opened wide with shock. He pushed himself off of her and sat on the bed in the middle of the room. He looked so lost and confused. He looked at his hands then looked at Yuriko.  
  
"I'm sorry..." He stuttered. "I don't know what I did --- I --- I..." He clutched his head in hands. "Please don't do that again." He groaned.  
  
Yuriko sat up on the couch. Her eyes remained glued to him. Was he really starting to remember? She didn't know if she should retaliate for what he just did. She felt as confused as he was. And it was she who provoked him. She was the one who tried to squeeze the answers out of his brain. But now she knew the answers were still there. His mind still held the ghosts of the past.  
  
She suddenly heard a knock on the door.  
  
The door opened, and a white house agent stepped into the room. "Mr. Stryker, Ms. Oyama, the helicopter is now ready for takeoff."  
  
Yuriko looked at the agent. "We'll be there in a minute." She said.  
  
The agent nodded and exited the room.  
  
She stood up from the sofa and straightened her clothes. She pulled the elastic band off her hair and redid her ponytail. After what just happened, she wanted to wash herself clean. She looked at Stryker and saw him sitting on the bed with his head still in his hands.  
  
"Mr. Stryker, it's time to leave." She said monotonously.  
  
Stryker ran his fingers through his hair then stood up. "I know." He couldn't find the courage to look into her eyes. He wanted to know who she really was. How could he feel as if he'd known her for so long, and not truly know her? But it really didn't matter anymore. Soon he will die in her hands, and that would be the end of his story.  
  
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They both boarded the helicopter without saying a word. Stryker and Yuriko seemed like two ghosts who wanted to hide in their own silence. Neither of them even looked at each other. It reminded her so much of the days when she was his slave. She would be by his side, night and day, until the sun went down, and yet not a word would be spoken.  
  
Yuriko still couldn't understand what truly happened in that room. She remembered how Stryker's persona changed. She remembered the way he stared into her eyes. She could still feel his weight against her body when he trapped her against the sofa. He talked as if he had known her for an entire lifetime. He talked as if she had been there from the beginning.  
  
The gap of silence between them lingered as the helicopter lifted itself from the ground. Stryker remained silent as he looked outside the window. Like Yuriko, he too couldn't fathom what just happened. He didn't even know he pinned her down until he saw the fear in her eyes. And the words that he said just flew out of his lips as if he'd wanted to say them all along.  
  
He knew she triggered something in his mind. She snapped an invisible string that made him do what he did. There was something in the way she asked her questions. Her voice bore deep into his brain like an electronic power drill.  
  
The helicopter soon reached the outskirts of New York's Westchester County. Yuriko's eyes caught sight of the mansion in the distance.  
  
/"Soon I will be reunited with my past."/ She looked at Stryker and saw him looking out the window. /"And soon, all will end as it should be."/  
  
But what is the end? How do stories end for people like her?  
  
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	19. The school for gifted youngsters

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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I thank thee, SKETTY24, EBONY, GIVEGODTHEGLORY and TP96 for thy wonderful reviews ! I really want to reply to every review, but I might end up giving away too many spoilers! So I'll just let the story speak for itself for now !  
  
Oh....thanks for telling me about the missing links, SKETTY24 =).... Let's see if these ones will work   
  
Fanfic cover - Stryker, Yuriko and Logan - = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
CHAPTER 19: The school for gifted youngsters  
  
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Yuriko felt her heart beating faster as their transport moved closer to Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted. It looked so distant, but she felt as if she could already walk through its front door. She really hasn't been to the mansion before. Stryker didn't bring her when they infiltrated it during the Alkali base operation.  
  
Her eyes wandered at the lush fields that surrounded the area. Based on the documents she found in the envelope, Charles Xavier owned the entire land. Why would Stryker want to destroy such a beautiful place? It was a haven for mutants young and old. Why destroy it because of one simple mistake?  
  
Yuriko saw a clear patch of land near the school and knew it was reasonable place to land. She didn't want the helicopter too close to the mansion. After the events that just transpired, she doubted that the mutants would greet them with warm welcome if they suddenly landed right in front of the school's doorstep.  
  
She moved close to the pilot and pointed to the clearing. "You can land it there."  
  
"We can land you right in front of the mansion if you want." The pilot said. "If we land you there, you'll still have to walk for a good ten minutes."  
  
"We'll be fine. We have legs. We can walk." She said firmly.  
  
"Okay, Ms. Oyama." The pilot shrugged and maneuvered the helicopter towards the clearing. He landed it softly on the grass-covered grounds.  
  
The agent who accompanied them opened the helicopter's door. "We hope your business with the mutants go well, Mr. Stryker." He said encouragingly.  
  
Stryker just looked at him and nodded. His mind was still lost in a limbo of thoughts.  
  
Yuriko exited the helicopter and Stryker followed after her. He seemed quite hesitant to exit the vehicle. Was he afraid? Was he afraid to find out what was in that mansion?  
  
They both moved away from the helicopter as it lifted itself from the ground. It faded away into the distance, leaving the two of them alone again. Yuriko looked at the distant mansion and felt her heart beating faster. It was going to be their final destination.  
  
Her eyes wandered at Stryker's still form. He stood unmoving as he looked at the mansion. She could see the fear in his face.  
  
Stryker knew...Stryker knew that that 'mutant school' would bring out more of his ghosts, more of the things he didn't want to remember. And he feared that. He looked at the distant mansion as his own pandora's box, waiting to be opened.  
  
"Come on, William. Let's go." She said commandingly. She wasn't going to let him slow her down now. They were already too close.  
  
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Professor Xavier and Ororo were both in the mansion's study. The professor was by the window, reading the book 'The Once and Future King', and Ororo was arranging some of the books on the shelves.  
  
The loss of Jean still weighed heavy in their hearts. Sometimes Ororo felt as if Jean was still there, as if she was still alive. But whenever she turned around, she only saw an empty space where Jean Grey should have been standing. She missed her dear friend, and knew that her death hurt Logan and Scott the most.  
  
Even the school was wrapped in silence. Most of the children were sent to their homes due to the repairs that were being done to the mansion. As for the team, they lamented in silence. They knew grieving would serve them no purpose, but Jean had meant so much to them, and even more to the school. They still couldn't believe that she was now gone.  
  
The professor, too, felt sadness for her passing. He had gone through many deaths and sacrifices in his life and he knew why Jean did what she did. She did it to save all of them. She did it because she loved them. The professor knew that and he didn't question her action. He didn't question her love for her friends.  
  
His eyes continued to read the passages in the book 'The Once and Future King'. It was one of Eric's favorite reads. His head suddenly perked up, and his eyes looked outside the window.  
  
Ororo noticed that and looked at the professor. "What is it, professor?"  
  
Professor Xavier looked at her and gently smiled. "We have guests."  
  
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It was almost two o' clock in the afternoon and Logan was still in the kitchen. His arm was folded on the kitchen table with his head resting on it. A half-empty beer bottle was in his hand, and more beer bottles, all of them empty, were scattered around him on the table. He seemed to have fallen asleep.  
  
Logan groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He lifted his head from his arm and saw the bottle in his hand. He breathed in then drank the bottle empty. He slammed the empty bottle against the table and stood up.  
  
"Must have fallen asleep." He groaned.  
  
He closed his eyes then shook his head from side to side. He could still feel the effects of the alcohol in his head. The ten empty bottles of beer on the table was a sure sign that he drank too much in one sitting. He rubbed the back of his neck then flexed his shoulder muscles.  
  
"Jean." He whispered. He still missed her as much as when he first opened his eyes that morning. She had been gone for more than a day, but Logan could still remember the last time he saw her as if it just happened a couple of minutes ago. He could still see her face. He could still see how the icy waters swallowed her in their depths. He would never forget that sight.  
  
His eyes looked at the clock and saw that it was already two in the afternoon.  
  
"Damn. I didn't know I slept that long." He said.  
  
Then he thought of Scott. Scott was his rival and his friend. But above all, he looked at him as the man Jean chose. Logan knew that Scott was the one who felt the most pain. He loved Jean more than life itself. They have been together for years, and now Scott was alone, without the woman he loved.  
  
The last time Logan saw him was earlier that day. By the time he woke up, Scott was already fully dressed in his casual outfit. He had his car keys in his hand when he made his way into the garage. He probably went out for a long drive. He probably couldn't get Jean's death out of his head too.  
  
Logan sighed and walked towards the kitchen door. But before he could go through the doorway, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air. He could sense someone coming. He could smell them from a mile away. And the smell was so familiar.  
  
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Yuriko and Stryker were now standing in front of the mansion. They have gone so far and have gone through so much to be were they were now. Right in front of them was the house that will set them all free. There was no turning back.  
  
Yuriko looked at Stryker and saw his lips shaking. He was rubbing his arms as if he felt so cold. It was a cold afternoon, but not cold enough to cause someone to act like that.  
  
"I don't like this place." He said, his voice shaking. "I --- I think I've been here before."  
  
Every time Stryker closed his eyes, he saw an image of the mansion in his mind. It was dark and cold and people were running everywhere. There were armed men and gunshots and explosions. He saw children lying unconscious on the floor with their eyes wide open. The place looked like a battlefield. People were dying left and right. And then he saw himself, standing in front of a wall of ice.  
  
Yuriko noticed the blank look on Stryker's eyes. She knew he was slowly starting to remember.  
  
"William!" She shouted.  
  
Stryker suddenly snapped out of his trance and looked at her. His eyes were filled with fear and rugged breaths escaped from his lips. He looked like a lost child who didn't know where to go.  
  
"Fear." She said sternly. "That's the price you have to pay for being the man you once were... Eternal fear for the things you have done, because you know they're going to haunt you for the rest of your life."  
  
He looked back at her. He felt defeated and cornered. Every word from her lips stung him because he knew she was telling the truth.  
  
Yuriko looked at the mansion's wooden door and noticed it slightly open.  
  
"It's open." She whispered. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She found it quite odd that the door was just left open like that. But since their objective was to go to the mansion and meet with the professor, she might as well take the opportunity anyway.  
  
She pushed the door open and stepped into the main entrance of the mansion.  
  
"No." Stryker said in a low voice.  
  
She sighed in frustration then looked at him. "We've gone this far, William. There's no turning back now." She said firmly.  
  
Yuriko grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the mansion with her. Once they were both inside, she kicked the door shut behind them. She could feel him struggling against her hold on his arm.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Stryker whispered.  
  
Yuriko looked around and felt the mansion's emptiness. She expected to hear voices and footsteps, but there were none. The silence was almost deafening. Where were all the students? Where were all the mutants?  
  
She let Stryker go from her grip as she walked deeper into the main entrance. A staircase ran down each side of the room. On the far end was a fireplace, and beside it were two halls that seemed to lead deeper into the mansion. She found the lack of welcome quite disturbing. There was something odd about the situation.  
  
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	20. Familiarity

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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QUICK UPDATE ! Thank you so much to all my reviewers o! Heheh...To those who have been waiting for wolverine since day one, HERE's your chapter o!!! (finally. Lol)  
  
SKETTY24 = hmmm...I wonder how I can make the links work. Let's try this...

Gabe-e . com /fanart/us/usart.jpg  
  
And  
  
Gabe-e . com/fanart/us/usart2.jpg  
  
(dunno if that'll still work x.x!)  
  
gotta go, guys ! Thanks again for the reviews !  
  
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CHAPTER 20: Familiarity  
  
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She suddenly noticed a flicker of light on the catwalk above the doorway. Her eyes darted to it and she saw the silhouette of a man standing there. The man was tall, with broad shoulders and a well-formed physique. His hair protruded on the sides of his face and down his hands glimmered the claws that reflected the light from the stained-glass windows.  
  
Her eyes opened wide as she realized who it was.  
  
/"Wolverine."/ She thought to herself. She could almost see his eyes glistening through the shadows.  
  
"YOU!!!" Logan cried out as he lunged towards Stryker. His claws were ready to taste his flesh.  
  
Yuriko quickly pushed Stryker out of the way and blocked Logan's claws with her own. She stared into his eyes and saw so much anger in there. It was like nothing she'd ever seen from him before. When they first fought in the underground base, Logan fought for his survival. There was no anger in his face, just determination. But now, the look on his face was different. He was filled with rage and fury. He looked unstoppable.  
  
/"Lady Deathstrike."/ He thought to himself.  
  
Logan couldn't believe his eyes. How could they still be alive? He saw both of them die. He saw Lady Deathstrike die right in front of him. He was the one who killed her. And Stryker, he left Stryker chained in Alkali Lake. He should have drowned. He should have died. How could they live while Jean was now dead?  
  
"I see you're still working for that monster!" Logan said through gritted teeth. Their claws sparked as they pressed against each other.  
  
"You don't understand." Yuriko said, hoping to reach out to him.  
  
When she escaped death in Alkali Lake, he was the first one she wanted to see. He was the only one she knew who was just like her. Not just because they had the same abilities, but they were also created by the same man. Yuriko thought that their next meeting would be a meeting of allies, of friends, of equals. Now she knew she thought wrong.  
  
"There is NOTHING to UNDERSTAND!!!" He shouted as he pushed her away. His voice was filled with so much hate.  
  
Yuriko almost fell on her back due to the force of Logan's push. She could feel the anger emanating from his every word. She didn't want to fight him again. She was already tired of fighting. For a decade she had done nothing but fight. Now she just wanted to be herself. If only she could tell Logan that. If only he would listen.  
  
Logan looked to his side and saw Stryker on the floor. He noticed the fear in his eyes. The William Stryker he knew would never act in such a way. The Stryker he knew would fight back. But Logan didn't care. Stryker was the reason why Jean was now gone. He didn't care if he had to kill a defenseless man, as long as he got to kill him.  
  
"Why are you still alive?!!" He shouted as he slowly walked towards him. He was ready to drive his claws into Stryker's body. "You're the reason why she's dead!!! Jean's dead, you bastard!!!" He shouted again.  
  
/"So they have lost one of their own."/ Yuriko thought as she watched him. No wonder he is in so much pain.  
  
Stryker looked back at Logan. He recognized him. He was the man he saw in one of his visions. He slowly crawled backwards as Logan approached him.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!!!" Shouted Stryker. His eyes were focused on the man in front of him. The man looked like a hungry predator who was ready to tear on the flesh of its prey.  
  
"You know very well what I'm talking about!" Shouted Wolverine. "You once told me that I'm nothing but an animal. And you know what? You were right!"  
  
He charged at Stryker with his claws aimed at his chest. But before he could touch him, Yuriko suddenly came between them again. The tips of Logan's claws were just an inch away from Stryker when she blocked his attack. If she had acted later, she might have lost her only chance to regain her past memories.  
  
"GO!!!" She shouted at Stryker.  
  
Stryker got on his feet and ran down the hall on the far side of the room.  
  
"I can see it in your eyes." Logan said as he came face to face with her. "You're not under his control anymore."  
  
Yuriko jumped away from him and landed in front of the fireplace. "You're right, Wolverine. I'm free. I'm free now just like you."  
  
Logan still held his fighting stance. Even if she wasn't under his control anymore, it still didn't mean that she was to be trusted.  
  
"Then why are you protecting him?! Why did you bring him here?!" He asked angrily. He wanted answers from her and he wanted them now.  
  
"I brought him here to meet Professor Xavier." She said. Her claws were still extended, but her hands were by her side. She wanted to avoid fighting him as much as she could, but she still couldn't risk letting her guard down. There was still hatred in his eyes.  
  
"Meet the professor? Why?" Logan asked curiously. Why would Stryker want to meet with Charles after what he did to him? Stryker didn't even have the right to be there in the mansion. He definitely had the guts to show his face there again.  
  
"Because Stryker's the only link I have to the past." She said. She looked at Logan's face and remembered the image she had in her mind. Did she really know him once? Was she looking at the same man who was in her vision? She remembered when he ran his fingers down her cheek. Did that really happen? And the way he smiled at her....  
  
"I'm just like you, Wolverine." She added. "He brought me into the world to be a weapon. I don't even know who I truly am."  
  
Logan couldn't understand it, but at that moment, he felt a connection with her. It just wasn't because her abilities were similar to his. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. Even her voice sounded so familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before --- in a dream. Who was she? Who is Lady Deathstrike?  
  
His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes stared at her face. Back when they fought in the underground base, he only looked at her as one of Stryker's tools. But now, he felt something else for her. There was a sense of familiarity.  
  
"The past." Wolverine scoffed. "That's why it's called the past, Deathstrike. Because it was meant to stay there."  
  
Yuriko retracted her claws. She found no need for them now.  
  
"You may think of it that way, Wolverine. But unlike you, I want to know my past. I want to know who I was, who I really am. I've lost a big part if my life, and I want to get it all back." She stared deeply into his eyes. She knew he understood her decision.  
  
"But what difference will it make?" Logan's claws slowly disappeared into his fists. Once he also thought of bringing the past back. But when he left Stryker to die in Alkali Lake, he made a decision to leave it there. He wanted his past to drown together with the man who had taken it from him in the first place. But now Stryker was alive. Did he want his past back again?  
  
"You can't change the past!" He shouted. "It won't make any difference! We live for the future. Forget about the past and move on!" Why did he suddenly care for her? Why did he want to set her free?  
  
"Because my past may affect my future, Wolverine. We may not be able to change the past, but we can change our future. Knowing the past will prevent us from committing the same mistakes. Knowing the past might ----" She looked at his face and once again remembered how he appeared in her vision. "--- reunite us with the people we spent it with."  
  
Logan couldn't understand why she was looking at him like that. He noticed her staring at his face, like she was studying every facet of him, every detail. She seemed to know something about him that he didn't. What did she know?  
  
"Do you have a name?" He asked curiously. "Aside from Lady Deathstrike, I mean."  
  
"Yuriko Oyama." She said softly.  
  
"Yuriko? Yuriko Oyama....." The name rolled off Logan's tongue as if he'd said it countless times before. His eyes wandered the room as if he was trying to remember something. He closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. Why did that name sound so familiar? Everything about her felt so familiar.  
  
He opened his eyes and saw her still standing there. She was real. She wasn't a dream. She wasn't one of his dreams even if he felt she was.  
  
"And you're Logan." She said. She noticed the gentleness in his eyes. She was finally able to reach out to the man Stryker had created to be a monster, just like her.  
  
Then she remembered Stryker.....  
  
Her eyes suddenly opened wide. "Stryker!" She shouted.  
  
"That bastard!" Logan hissed. "You set him free in the school!" The anger in his eyes returned when he mentioned Stryker's name.  
  
"No! You don't understand! He's harmless!" She said abruptly. She didn't want him to enter that state of anger again. She was afraid to lose the man she was talking to right now. She wanted him to stay. She wanted Logan to stay, not Wolverine.  
  
Logan marched towards the hall Stryker ran into. "That man can never be harmless. He'll kill any mutant if he has the chance. And he won't even care if that mutant is a child." He stopped in his tracks and looked at Yuriko. He was now standing beside her. "That man is a killer, Yuriko. You brought a killer into the school." He was about to march into the corridor, when Yuriko placed a firm hand on his shoulder.  
  
"No, Logan! Listen to me. He's harmless. He's can't remember anything about his past, just like you and me. He doesn't even know who he is! That's why I brought him here! Because I know the professor can extract my past from his mind." She hoped he would understand.  
  
"Did I also tell you that he's a manipulative bastard? What if he tricked you? What if he's just pretending that he can't remember anything just so you can lead him back here?" Logan stared into her eyes. He didn't seem convinced by Yuriko's story.  
  
Yuriko looked back at him. She knew Logan was going to kill Stryker if she couldn't convince him that Stryker was really harmless now.  
  
"Trust me, Logan. Trust me." She whispered.  
  
Logan looked into her eyes and sighed. "Let's say Stryker really did lose all of his memories. And let's say that I do trust you. Then what's going to happen after you retrieve your past from his mind?"  
  
Yuriko clenched her jaw as she looked back at him. "I'm going to make him pay."  
  
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	21. Haunted

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's one long juicy chapter for you guys o!!! Once again, thank you so much to everyone who had taken the time to review this fanfic ! Your reviews keep meh goin' ! Sketty24, great to know you like the art ! Heheh...I hope I did a good job of capturing their likeness .! CIAO!!! (gotta go to bed now -.-)  
  
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CHAPTER 21: Haunted  
  
Stryker walked aimlessly through the mansion's halls. He had lost track of where he had gone. When Yuriko asked him to make a run for it, he just ran from one hall to another, never stopping to think of where he was, or where he was going. He just ran, and ran, and now he was lost. The mansion was larger and more complex than he expected.  
  
His eyes wandered at the intricate wooden designs that decorated the walls. Everything looked so familiar to him. He remembered seeing it all in his mind. Even when he first saw the mansion from the helicopter, he knew he'd been there before. He just couldn't remember when or where or how.  
  
Stryker closed his eyes and suddenly saw the mansion in his mind again. He saw everything happening so fast --- the explosions, the gunfire, the dead bodies, the unconscious children. Everything melded together to paint a portrait in his mind. He opened his eyes and saw himself in the empty hall. The image just passed like a dream.  
  
He placed a hand on his forehead and leaned against the corridor's wall. He closed his eyes and sighed. He felt so tired. He was so tired of seeing images in his mind. When will it all stop? Most of the images he saw were nightmares. They were nightmares that never waited for sleep. They were nightmares that felt so real.  
  
He pressed his hand against the wall, then suddenly felt nothing against his back. He felt as if the wall behind him had just disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw himself within his vision. But unlike his previous vision, everything happened so slowly now. Everyone was moving in slow motion, including himself. The vision was also void of any sound. There was only silence.  
  
He turned around to look at the wall behind him and saw a huge hole on it. The hole was the size of a fully-grown man. Through the hole he saw a room that had two empty beds. The beds looked ruffled and unruly, as if its owners had immediately left in a hurry.  
  
He saw some men run past by him in the hall. They appeared to be in military gears and their faces were painted green. He turned around and ran after them. The sight around him was unbearable. The mansion was in ruins and dead bodies were scattered everywhere. It was also very dark. The only lights that illuminated the halls were the ones coming from the soldiers' flashlights.  
  
He saw the men shoot at some children and they fell unconscious on the floor. He ran to one of them and knelt down by the child's side. The child had his eyes open and three darts on his neck. He reached out to touch him, but his hand just went through the unconscious body. He didn't even feel it against his skin.  
  
/"What's going on?"/ He asked himself. This vision felt so real. Did any of that really happen? Was he there when it did? He wanted to run away, run away from that vision. He wanted to wake up. But every time he opened his eyes, he was still there, in that war zone.  
  
He suddenly saw one of the soldiers motioning for him to follow.  
  
/"Why does he want me to follow? Do I know him? What am I doing here?! What's my role in all this?!!!"/  
  
He got on his feet and looked at the unconscious children again. Was he responsible for that too? He looked at the soldier and saw him run around the corner at the end of the hallway. Stryker didn't move. He didn't want to follow. He knew there was something waiting for him on the other side, but he didn't want to see it. There was something about it that scared him.  
  
But he had no choice. He had to follow. Stryker clenched his fists and walked towards the end of the hall. The dream was now the one in control. It now had its own story, and he was one of the characters. He was now just a pawn to its plot. If he wanted the story to end, he had to play his role.  
  
He turned around the corner and saw a huge wall of ice in the middle of the hallway. He suddenly felt his heart thumping in his chest. He knew he'd seen it before. He'd seen it before in that same hallway. He even remembered touching it once. He looked at his hand and remembered the feel of it against his fingers. Why was it all coming back to him now? Why now?  
  
He slowly started to walk towards it. It drew him in like a flame to a moth. He noticed the soldiers around him slowly fading away with every step he took. Was the dream going to end soon? Was the end of the dream beyond that wall of ice?  
  
He stopped right in front of it. The light that illuminated from the icy wall dimly lit the hallway. He could feel the cold air emanating from its smooth surface. He was all alone now. Everyone else had disappeared. The soldiers have all vanished, and so have all the unconscious children. The dead bodies that lied lifeless in the mansion have gone too. None of them left a trace. It was as if they weren't even there.  
  
He placed his hands on its icy surface and pushed against it. He knew it would do no good, but he had to try. He had to get to the other side. Whatever lied beyond that wall would set him free from his current nightmare. He didn't want to be there anymore. He wanted out. The mansion felt so cold, so empty, so dark. No man deserved to be in such a place. Not even him.  
  
He suddenly stopped pushing as he saw something through the ice. It was a shadow. His eyebrows furrowed as the shadow walked closer to him. It was a silhouette of a man. Someone was on the other side.  
  
"Help!!!" He shouted. Stryker pounded on the wall, hoping that the man would be able to hear him. He didn't know who it was, but at least he was not alone.  
  
The silhouette slowly placed its hand on the wall. Stryker could see the hand's shadow against the ice. He felt as if he'd seen it before. It looked so familiar. He couldn't understand it, but he soon found himself placing his own hand over the shadow.  
  
Then a name rolled off his tongue. "Wolverine?" He asked curiously. He remembered Yuriko saying that name before. It was the name of the man who tried to kill him earlier. It was a name that sounded both new and old to him, as if he himself had said it countless times.  
  
The air was suddenly filled with the sound of an ice breaking. It sounded as if something just broke through the wall. Stryker's eyes suddenly opened wide. It was the first sound he'd ever heard in that vision.  
  
And then there was silence.  
  
Stryker just stood there, unmoving and staring at the wall. His eyes looked empty and his mouth was slightly open. Crimson blood slowly started to stream down his lips. He could taste it in his tongue as more of it filled his mouth. The blood rolled down his chin and trickled on his suit.  
  
He looked down and saw a fist against his stomach. The fist seemed to have broken through the ice. It had three claws and they were all implanted in him. A big patch of blood formed around the area where he had been stabbed. He could feel the claws through his flesh. The pain was unbearable. He could feel them against every muscle, every organ, every bone that they've punctured.  
  
He reached down and touched the crimson liquid that stained his suit. It was his really blood --- his own blood. Was that still a part of his vision? He looked at his blood-soaked hands and saw them shaking. Was he going to die? He didn't want to die. Not now, not yet, not in that vision.  
  
Another fist broke through the icy wall and drove its claws into his chest. He gasped as he felt it tore through him. He could feel more blood streaming down his lips. He breathed, trying to fill his lungs with air, but felt his own blood filling it instead. He looked like a slaughtered animal.  
  
Then the icy wall suddenly shattered into tiny shards. It's pieces fell on the floor and revealed the man who stood on the other side. Wolverine.  
  
Stryker saw the anger in his eyes. He remembered seeing that look when Wolverine first attacked him in the mansion. He remembered the fury in his face and the madness in his voice. And now, he felt Wolverine's anger from the claws that drove through his body.  
  
He was expecting to wake up from the dream now. He expected the dream to end soon. He expected to wake up and find himself back in the halls of the mansion where Yuriko had asked him to run into. But the dream still lingered. He was still covered with blood and he could still feel the pain. Why did that vision feel so real?  
  
Wolverine twisted his claws in Stryker's body then pulled them out of him. Some of Stryker's blood splattered on him as his claws tore out of the man's flesh. He looked at slaughtered figure in satisfaction. His claws were by his side and they were covered red with blood.  
  
Stryker remained standing for a couple of seconds, then he landed on his knees. His body felt so heavy. He could barely keep his eyes open and his mind working. He saw Wolverine turn around and walk away. And then Wolverine slowly disappeared, just like everyone did earlier.  
  
His body fell forward on the floor. He was now lying on his stomach, with his cheek pressed against the ground. He could see his own blood flowing from his body as it stained the wooden floor around him. Then he closed his eyes.  
  
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Yuriko quickly ran down the halls of the mansion. She and Wolverine have agreed to split up to find Stryker faster. She had to find him before the other mutants did. She really wasn't sure how the residents of the mansion would react if they saw him there again. After all, the last time he 'visited', he really wasn't the best guest ever.  
  
She ran down a few more halls and still couldn't find him anywhere. She wasn't even sure where she was anymore. She might have even run through the same hallways twice without knowing it. Yuriko sighed and looked at one hallway and another.  
  
/"Where could he be?"/ She thought to herself.  
  
What if he ran out of the mansion? What if he ran into one of the rooms? The mansion was too big, and Stryker could be anywhere. He could even be in another floor. How many floors did the mansion even have? She never thought she'd hope for it, but she hoped he was safe.  
  
She really didn't expect him to run that far in the first place. But she also didn't expect the school to have that many halls and passageways. Who knows where he was now? Logan went to search on the other floors. So if he were there, Logan would find him. Yuriko felt worried at the thought of Logan finding Stryker.  
  
Even if Logan believed her story about Stryker's memory loss, she knew he still hated him with every fiber in his body. And she couldn't blame him. She hated Stryker too. Logan had lost someone very dear to him. And the pain of that loss showed in his anger towards Stryker. So if Logan did find him first, then Stryker might have a few broken bones the next time she sees him.  
  
Yuriko ran down another hallway. She was in the brink of frustration. Maybe Stryker really went to another floor. She ran into another hallway and was about to give up, when she saw the form of a man laying face down in the middle of the floor. She recognized him instantly.  
  
"William!" She shouted.  
  
She ran to him and knelt by his side. His eyes were closed. She pushed him over so that he would be lying on his back. She looked at his body and found no injuries and signs that he had been hurt. What happened to him?  
  
Stryker's eyes suddenly opened. They were looking up at the ceiling.  
  
Yuriko almost jumped back in surprise. Was he going through another one of his visions again?  
  
He sat up and looked at her. He had an empty look on his face, but his eyes stared deeply into hers. Yuriko didn't know what to do. He was just gazing at her. He didn't even say a word. There was something about his silence that made her feel uncomfortable.  
  
Much to her surprise, Stryker slowly leaned closer and wrapped his arms around her. Her eyes opened wide with shock. What was he doing? She could feel his face against her shoulder and his arms wrapped tightly around her torso. His hands gripped her as if he didn't want to let go. She didn't like it at all. She hated the feel of him.  
  
"I saw myself die." He whispered. "I felt myself die."  
  
She felt his hot breath against her neck as he talked. She wanted to push him away.  
  
"I saw my own blood flooding the floor that I lied upon. My own blood flowed from my eyes like tears. It flowed so much that it was the only thing I could see." His voice was void of all emotions. "I was dying and I saw it all. I saw my own death."  
  
She placed her hands on his shoulders. She was intent on pushing him off of her. She couldn't even understand what he was mumbling about.  
  
"He killed me. Wolverine killed me. I felt the pain. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. The pain just kept on going. It kept on going until I died. I thought it wouldn't stop." The monotonous tone in his voice lingered.  
  
Yuriko suddenly felt his arms wrap tighter around her. She now realized what he was talking about. He was talking about his most recent vision. She knew how powerful those visions were. She had her own too. She knew how real they looked and how real they felt. But she couldn't tolerate his actions. She had to put a stop to this.  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" She asked coldly. "You know very well that I'm going to kill you too."  
  
"I know." His head was still on her shoulder. "That's why I'm telling you. I'm tired, Yuriko. I'm tired of seeing these visions. They won't leave my mind. Sometimes I'm afraid to close my eyes because I know I might see them again."  
  
"You deserve those visions, William." She said uncaringly. Her eyes stared at the far end of the hall.  
  
He didn't say anything. He just stayed there with his arms wrapped around her torso and his head on her shoulder. He needed someone and she was the only one he had.  
  
"What a touching reunion." Said a familiar voice.  
  
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	22. The girl who cried wolf

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Sorry if I haven't updated in a while .!!! Aeeergh...Some personal stuff kept me from writing more of this fanfic x.x! Anywayz, I hope you guys are still around ! Thank you so much for waiting for this next chapter o! Eheheh...and yes, that was Logan's voice at the end of Chapter 21 (I just spoiled it, didn't I? O.o)! Oh, thanks for the great review, Capt. O' Hagan ! I'll post the next chapter ASAP!!!! o  
  
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CHAPTER 22: The girl who cried wolf  
  
Yuriko looked behind her and saw Logan standing at the end of the hallway.  
  
"Logan." She said.  
  
Stryker lifted his head from her shoulder and felt his heart jump at the sight of him. It was the man who slaughtered him in his vision. It was the man called Wolverine.  
  
He looked at Yuriko's face and saw the calmness in her eyes. He hadn't seen her look at anyone like that before. Weren't she and Wolverine supposed to be enemies?  
  
When Yuriko asked him to make a run for it, he thought he would never see her alive again. He thought they would fight to the death. What happened? And why did she call him 'Logan'? Oddly enough, that name sounded familiar to him too. There was so much in that mansion that seemed so familiar.  
  
Yuriko quickly pushed Stryker off of her and stood up. She straightened her clothes and turned around to face Logan. Her eyes looked at his tall form. She still couldn't understand why she felt so at peace whenever she saw his face. Seeing him felt like home. Was it because of her visions? Did she really know him from the past?  
  
"I found him." She said as she motioned a hand towards Stryker.  
  
She hoped Logan wouldn't misinterpret what he saw. After all, it was Stryker who had his arms wrapped around her. Not the other way around. Even she was surprised when Stryker did what he did. What happened was out of her control. Or was it?  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow. "You apparently did. I just didn't expect you to be so happy to see him." He placed his hands on his waist in an all- knowing, cocky way.  
  
Yuriko could feel the joking tone in Logan's voice. But she had to explain the situation to him. She didn't want him to think that she really cared for Stryker.  
  
"When I saw him, he was laying down on the floor. I thought he was hurt, so I approached him, and the next thing I know ---"  
  
"--- he was feeling you up." Logan said as he continued her sentence.  
  
"I wasn't feeling her up." Stryker said firmly. He was still on the floor beside Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko's eyes darted to Stryker. She didn't expect him to talk back at Logan like that. Just a little while ago, there was fear in his voice when he spoke Wolverine's name. She remembered him being in a state of shock as he talked of his own bloody death in Wolverine's hands. Yet Stryker just spoke as if his vision never happened.  
  
Even Stryker was surprised with the words that flew out of his mouth. How could he have spoken like that to the man who had just killed him? He could still recall how Wolverine slaughtered him in his vision. He could remember everything --- the pain, the blood, the claws. He could still see them at the back of his mind. He knew he should fear this real Wolverine, but a part of him didn't. A part of him wanted to fight back. He wasn't going to let Wolverine slaughter him again.  
  
Logan looked at Stryker. "I didn't know pets could talk." He said insultingly.  
  
Stryker stood up and straightened his suit. His eyes met Logan's. There was no fear in his face. The two men just stood there, staring into each other's eyes. Yuriko could feel the tension in the air. It was as if the anxiety between them had begun long before that moment.  
  
The silence in the hallway was suddenly broken when Stryker opened his lips.  
  
"And I didn't know blood-thirsty animals could talk either." He emphasized the word 'animal'. The word flew out of his lips and hit Logan hard.  
  
Logan gritted his teeth and unleashed his claws. "Blood-thirsty animal?!" He angrily marched towards Stryker, his claws ready to drive into the man's body. "Who are you to call me a blood-thristy animal?!" The anger in his eyes was back. He didn't care if Yuriko needed him to regain her past. He was going to kill Stryker now.  
  
"You were the one who wanted to kill every mutant in the planet!!! Do you know how many lives you destroyed?! You're the blood-thirsty animal, Stryker! Not me!!!"  
  
He was about to lunge at Stryker, when Yuriko suddenly stood between them. She placed her hands on his chest and stopped him from moving any further. Stryker held his ground behind Yuriko. His eyes were still focused on Logan. There was something about his rage that looked so familiar.  
  
"Logan, no! I know you want to kill and him and I do too! Believe me, I do! But you also know that I need him. I need him now more than ever." Yuriko could feel Logan struggling against her. She knew that once she let him go, he was going to kill Stryker without a second thought.  
  
Wolverine retracted his claws and looked into Yuriko's eyes. He could really feel her longing for the past she had lost, and he respected her decision. He sighed and stepped away from her.  
  
"You're lucky she's here, Stryker." He said angrily. His eyes were focused on the man behind Yuriko. "Because unlike her, I want you dead! I want you dead more than anything else!" He practically spat the words at him.  
  
Stryker looked at Logan without saying anything. He knew why Logan was so angry with him. He remembered him talking about the death of a woman named Jean Grey, and he felt the pain in his voice as he said her name. Stryker knew he was responsible for her death. He was responsible for her death as he was responsible for Yuriko's suffering.  
  
He wanted to say sorry. He wanted to apologize, but the look on Logan's eyes was a sign that it was too late for that now. Nothing can change the past. The damage had been done and the pain had been felt. The injuries he had caused them would never heal. He now had to choice but to fight for his survival. He had to fight for his new life, even if he knew Yuriko was going to end it soon. He still had to fight.  
  
"By the way...." Logan looked at Yuriko. He seemed calmer now. "I came across Charles when I was looking for your dog. The professor wanted me to send you a message on his behalf."  
  
Yuriko looked at Logan curiously. "What's that?"  
  
She was quite surprised that the professor already knew they were there. She knew he was a telepath, so he probably felt them coming from a while away. Though she found it rather odd that the professor didn't send a warmer welcoming committee to accept them into the mansion.  
  
"Chuck said you could stay here for as long as you want. Treat the mansion as your own home. He had one of the rooms prepared for you." Wolverine could see a hint of happiness in Yuriko's eyes. "Unfortunately," He added. "The same goes with your dog too." He glared at Stryker. "I don't even know why the professor's letting him stay here."  
  
Yuriko wanted to smile. Her heart clung to every word. The professor wanted her to stay. He wanted her to live there. She could live in that mansion for as long as she wanted. She could finally belong somewhere. But did Logan want her there too? Had she truly come home?  
  
"Thank you." She said with a smile.  
  
"Don't thank me. Thank Charles." Logan said. Something in Yuriko's smile made him feel warm inside. Had he gone soft? He couldn't deny the feeling that he'd seen her face before. The smile on her lips and the happiness in her eyes painted a picture in his mind. It was a picture of a girl. A girl --- from his past?  
  
"Logan?" Yuriko asked. She noticed the blank look on his face.  
  
"Yes? Uh, sorry about that. I --- I was thinking about something." He looked at her and smiled.  
  
He was quite surprised that he smiled at her. A couple of days ago, he was fighting her to the death, and now he was smiling at her like an old friend. And not just that... He felt at home with her. She felt so familiar to him, so close. He could almost feel her skin against his fingers.  
  
Logan felt confused. He couldn't understand the conflicting emotions inside his head. He'd never felt that way towards anyone before. Not even with Jean, or Rogue, or Ororo. Why Yuriko? Why her? Why now?  
  
"So when can I meet with the professor?" Asked Yuriko. She could still see the confused look in his face. She wanted to ask Logan if he was okay, but she didn't want to appear too meddlesome. It was not the right time for her to ask such prying questions.  
  
"He said he'll meet the two of you in the study later. As for now, I suggest you go to your room and rest. You probably went through a lot to get here."  
  
"More than you could ever imagine." She said. Yuriko couldn't help but smile. She finally belonged somewhere, and Logan was slowly starting to let her in his life. Maybe someday he'd want to remember his past too --- remember it and remember her.  
  
Yuriko's eyes suddenly opened wide. She noticed something missing. Her eyes darted at Stryker, then she looked at her empty hands. "My suitcase!" She said in panic. She remembered dropping it at the entrance of the mansion when Logan first attacked them.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Logan said abruptly. "It's already in your room."  
  
Yuriko sighed in relief. The things in that suitcase were the only resources she had. But then, did she still need those things? What else would she do with Stryker's money? She had her home now. She was now with people who were just like her. She was now a part of a family.  
  
"Well, I guess I better lead you to your room now." Said Wolverine. "Charles asked me to take you there once I found ya." He looked at Yuriko and smiled.  
  
"I could tell you how to get there, but you'd probably get lost in no time. This mansion is a very big and complex place. Take my word for it. Aside from that, your dog might run off again." He glared at Stryker. "Having me around you will keep him in a leash."  
  
Yuriko looked at Stryker, then she looked back at Logan. "Stryker? Don't worry about him. I can handle him by myself. Trust me...He knows who he's dealing with."  
  
She looked at Stryker and waved her fingers at him. "Right, William?" She asked with a taunting smirk on her face.  
  
Stryker arched an eyebrow. He couldn't believe they were treating him like a juvenile child that needed constant disciplining. He was grown man without a past. The last thing he needed were two young people scoffing at him.  
  
"Good for him to know who his master is now." He smiled at Yuriko and walked away. "Follow me." He said as he walked down the hall.  
  
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	23. Solitude

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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W000t!!! Another chapter finished o! I hope this one didn't take too long ! I'm really sorry if it's taking me a while to update lately, but I've been busy with some shtuff that keep me away from the computer .!  
  
SKETTY24 = Logan and Yuriko are definitely right for each other ! Heheh. But Stryker doesn't seem too happy about that now, does he?  
  
TP96 = Lol. Don't worry. I'm still alive and kickin'. Lol! Aaahhh...don't we all just wish we could spend more time working on our stories? !  
  
GIVEGODTHEGLORY = Here's what happens next ! .......  
  
CAPT. O' HAGAN = Yes....I am still alive and well in my very own little underground base ! Yeah, I bet it's tough for Yuriko to hold Logan back from killing the person she hates the most. But then, she still does need him =). Eheheheh....Let's see how long Stryker can keep his blls intact :P! LMAO!  
  
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CHAPTER 23: Solitude  
  
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Yuriko grabbed Stryker's arm and pulled him after her. She walked beside Logan as the two of them followed him from one hallway to another. She still couldn't believe that the mansion was her home now. She didn't expect that she would end up living there.  
  
When she first thought of going to the school, the only thing she had in mind was the retrieval of her past. But the school was more than that now. It just wasn't another stop over. It was now her home, a place where she could stay in for as long as she wanted, and a place where she could be herself without the fear of anyone taking control of her.  
  
They soon found themselves standing in front of the first floor's elevator.  
  
"The living quarters are on the second floor. That's where you'll be staying from now on." Logan pushed a button and the elevator opened.  
  
They all stepped inside and Logan pushed the button for the mansion's second floor. The elevator closed and started to move. Yuriko noticed the buttons lined up by the elevator's entrance. The mansion only seemed to have three floors, but the elevator had 7 buttons.  
  
"So where else does this elevator go?" She asked curiously. Her eyes were focused on Logan who was standing right next to her. She liked how he looked now. The anger in his face was gone and there was calmness in his eyes.  
  
"If you stay long enough, you might just be able to find out." He looked back at her and smiled. He really couldn't shake the feeling that they've met before. He didn't usually talk to people he'd just met, but Yuriko just drew the words right out of his mouth.  
  
Stryker noticed the connection between Logan and Yuriko. He didn't like how she looked at him, and he didn't like how he looked at her. He clenched his fists by his sides and gritted his teeth. Yuriko didn't seem like the kind of woman who'd easily open up to a man, and yet she seemed so open and comfortable whenever she was talking to that Wolverine.  
  
He looked away and refused to see more of their unspoken connection. Why was he feeling that way? No, it wasn't anger. It wasn't hate. It was something else.  
  
The elevator stopped and the door opened. Wolverine walked into the second floor and Yuriko and Stryker followed after him.  
  
Yuriko still had her hand wrapped around Stryker's arm. She found it odd that he had stopped struggling against her. He didn't even try to pull away as they followed Logan down the halls. She found this new behavior quite disturbing. She even noticed him staring at her face every once in a while.  
  
/"What's wrong with Stryker now?"/ She thought to herself. Stryker was acting too observant for her liking.  
  
Yuriko also noticed the silence that enveloped the mansion. She knew it was a school, but there were no students in sight. She expected to see some of them walking down the halls, especially since it was late of the afternoon, but the entire floor was void of any children. The only sound she could hear was the echo of their own footsteps in the corridor.  
  
"Where are all the students? I thought this was a school." She asked as she followed Wolverine. Her eyes wandered at the doors that lined the hallway.  
  
"Well thanks to your 'friend'," He looked at Stryker from the corner of his eye. "--- the mansion is currently undergoing major repairs. The professor found it appropriate to send the children home while we recover from the 'incident'." He emphasized the word 'incident'. Every time he remembered what Stryker did, he wanted to kill him.  
  
"How about the other mutants? The other members of your team?" She asked curiously. "You're the only one I've seen ever since we got here."  
  
"They're currently minding their own business." His voice sounded firm, as if he didn't even want to talk about it. Logan stopped in front of one of the doors and looked at Yuriko. "As you can see, the school's not at its happiest right now. We have lost so much more than we expected." His eyes stared coldly at Stryker.  
  
/"Jean."/ Logan thought. Despite Yuriko's presence, he still couldn't forget her. He knew he would never forget her. And it angered him more that the man who was responsible for her death was standing right in front of him.  
  
He opened the door and motioned his hand towards the room. "This is where you and that bastard will be staying. I just hope he won't be staying for that long." He felt his jaw clench.  
  
Yuriko let go of Stryker's arm and walked into the room. Stryker and Logan followed her inside. The two men stared at each other as they entered the door. Logan knew he couldn't touch Stryker for now. Yuriko still needed him. But after she's done retrieving her past from his mind, he will finally be able to make him pay for what he had done.  
  
A soft smile appeared on Yuriko's lips as she walked to the middle of the room. It wasn't that big, but it was her own.  
  
/"This is my room now."/ She thought to herself.  
  
She finally had her own room. And she was now a part of a family. What more could she want? She finally belonged. She couldn't wait to see the professor and thank him for everything. Even after what she did as Lady Deathstrike, he still accepted her in his school. He didn't even question her presence there.  
  
She suddenly thought of the other mutants. How would they react if they found her there? She hoped they would understand. After all, the one called Cyclops was once under Stryker's mind control drug too.  
  
Yuriko saw two beds in the room. She presumed the other one was for Stryker. She sat down on one of the beds and sighed with contentment. She couldn't wait to see more of the school. She had so much to look forward to.  
  
Logan walked to the door and opened it.  
  
"Where are you going?" Asked Yuriko. She didn't want him to go yet. She wanted him to stay. She wanted to talk to him more. She wanted to learn more about him.  
  
"I have to go see Charles and tell him you've already settled down." He said as he looked at her.  
  
He was about to step out of the room, when he suddenly turned his head to looked at her again. "Maybe I'll drop by later and see how you're doing. I could even give you a trip around the mansion. Free of charge of course." He said, smiling.  
  
Then his eyes darted to Stryker. "Just make sure you keep your dog caged. We don't want wild animals running around the school." He felt his jaw tighten as he looked at him.  
  
He looked at Yuriko for the last time, then exited the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Once they were alone, Stryker looked at Yuriko and saw her still staring at the door. She looked as if she wanted to see more of Wolverine. The look in her eyes seemed to long for him. He had never seen her look at anyone like that before. Did she really want that barbaric man? He couldn't understand how she could fall for someone who had just tried to kill her.  
  
"You like him." He said as he sat down on the other bed. His voice sounded hesitant.  
  
Yuriko looked at him coldly. "That is none of your business."  
  
He looked into her eyes. "But it is. You're going to kill me soon so I might as well know more about you." He said in a rather sarcastic way. If he was going to die, then he might as well not live in fear.  
  
"Ironic." Her voice was void of emotions. "You are the one who's supposed to know a lot about me. So why don't you go ask yourself?" She said angrily.  
  
She lied down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't even sure if she wanted her past back anymore. She now had a new life. And she liked her new life. She wouldn't let anything ruin it. She wanted to keep it the way it was.  
  
She could see Stryker from the corner of her eye. Now she wished she hadn't taken him with her. He just made things more complicated. She closed her eyes and remembered the vision with Stryker and Logan. She remembered how happy they were. Was the past really that important?  
  
Stryker's eyes wandered to the floor. He knew she could never forgive him for what he had done. .None of the people he'd hurt in the past would be able to forgive him. He had caused so much pain and suffering, that forgiveness was now impossible.  
  
He was almost as good as dead. He still didn't know who he was, and none of the people he knew cared for him. He'd been dragged from one place to another, and none of those places felt like home. How could a man live a new life if the world didn't want him in it?  
  
"I'm sorry for everything I did to you." He said firmly. He had no choice. He had to try. He had to reach out to her. He wanted her to accept him in her life. She was the only one he had.  
  
Yuriko just ignored him. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. No amount of 'sorry' could ever change what he did. No amount of 'sorry' will make her forget the pain she went through because of him. And it's not just what he did to her. She saw what he did to the mutants he captured. Innocent mutants suffered because of him. He mutilated them --- used them in his plans. He gave them no mercy and now he deserved none.  
  
"I said I'm sorry." He said again. His head was bowed down and his voice was shaking. He couldn't look at her. It pained him to look at the woman he enslaved. She was the living embodiment of the things he had done, and the more he looked at her, the more he saw the images in his mind.  
  
"You're just wasting your time, William. You know very well that I will never forgive you." Her voice sounded so cold. "Not now. Not tomorrow. Not Ever." She didn't even look at him. She just laid there on the bed unmoving.  
  
"Don't you think I've suffered enough?!" He suddenly shouted. The sound of his voice filled the room. "I'm tired of paying for my sins!!! I'm tired of suffering for the past that I can't even remember!!! Don't you think that's unfair?!" His hands gripped the edge of the bed tightly. He wanted her to listen. He wanted to reach out to her.  
  
"Life is never fair." She said coldly. "Do you think it was fair when you took me in as your slave? When you forced me to do things I didn't want to do? Do you think it was fair when you took my life away from me?"  
  
Yuriko turned to her side so that she would be facing the wall. She didn't want to see Stryker anymore. She didn't want to hear his voice anymore. She wanted to shut him out of her life. Was the past still worth it?  
  
"I wish I could change the past, Yuriko! I wish I could change everything, but I can't!!! I can't!!! And I'm sorry for that...." He could feel his heart beating so fast. His chest moved up and down as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
Yuriko slowly sat up on the bed. Then she looked at him. Her eyes looked so cold and lifeless as she stared at his face. "You ask forgiveness from me. You want me to forgive you. But how about the people you asked me to kill, William? How about the people and the mutants you asked me to slaughter? How will they forgive me now?"  
  
Stryker bowed his head. He felt the pain in her voice. She was right. She was right all along. He can never be forgiven. Never. He was still the man he once was. He was still a monster, and nothing could ever change that.  
  
Without saying another word, Yuriko stood up and walked out of the door.  
  
The last thing Stryker heard was the sound of the door closing as Yuriko left the room. Once again, he was left alone, sitting on the bed, in a world that didn't want him.  
  
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	24. Redemption

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = Man, this chapter took a while O.O! But here it is ! Thank you so much to all my reviewers :D!!! I love you guys!! W000T!!! I hope you enjoy this next installment ! See ya' in the next chapter !  
  
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CHAPTER 24: Redemption  
  
Yuriko shut the door behind her. She couldn't take it anymore. Every word from his lips placed a weight upon her heart. And the weight became too great, that she had to run away. She had to run away before she forgave him. And she almost did. She came so close.  
  
She pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes as tears started to run down her cheeks. She couldn't help but cry. She could still hear his voice in her head. She could still hear him begging for forgiveness. Why was it so hard to forgive? Why was it so easy to punish someone, to hurt someone, and yet so hard to forgive? Why?  
  
Her back slid against the door as she sat down on the hallway. She bowed her head and let the tears from her eyes trickle down to her cheeks. A part of her wanted to forgive him, but a bigger part of her wanted him dead.  
  
Yuriko still couldn't understand why she hadn't killed Stryker yet. After everything he had done to her in the past, she still spared his life. Was it because he was the only one who could give her the past back? Or was she just telling herself that as an excuse to let him live?  
  
Yuriko looked at her hands. She didn't even know what she wanted anymore. She wasn't even sure if she would still be able to kill him. How could she kill a man who couldn't even remember the sins he had done? Who was she to decide who should live and who should die? She was not god.  
  
She suddenly noticed someone standing right next to her in the hallway. She looked up and saw Logan looking at her. She could see the concerned look on his face.  
  
"Yuriko?" He asked with a gentle tone in his voice.  
  
"Logan!" She shouted. She felt her voice shaking. Her sobs had made it difficult for her to speak.  
  
She suddenly stood up and threw her arms around him. She pressed her tear- stained face against his chest as she cried in his arms. She didn't want to let him go. He was the only one who made her feel safe. He was the only one she wanted. He was the only one who felt right in the world.  
  
Logan looked surprised as he felt her against him. He could feel her tears dampening his white tank top. Her shoulders jerked as she cried in his arms. He could even hear the gasps that escaped from her lips and feel the heat of her breath against his skin. The sound of her sobbing filled the empty hall.  
  
"What's wrong?" He whispered.  
  
He couldn't understand it, but seeing her like that caused him so much pain. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep her safe. He didn't want to see her get hurt. Why was he feeling that way towards her? He barely even knew Yuriko.  
  
He slowly wrapped her arms around her slender body. He wanted to take her pain away. He looked down and saw her looking up at him. There was so much sadness in her face. The tears she had cried have left traces on her delicate cheeks. He wanted to touch her skin. His fingers longed to wipe her tears away. Who could have given her so much pain? Then he thought of him.  
  
"Stryker." He whispered through gritted teeth.  
  
There was fire in Logan's eyes at the mention of his name. He knew that bastard would be up to no good. He would only continue to hurt her as he had hurt her before. Stryker would never change. A man like that could never change.  
  
He gently moved Yuriko aside as he opened the door to the room. It was about time he did things his own way. He would never let him hurt her anymore. He closed the door behind him and saw Stryker sitting on the bed.  
  
Yuriko's eyes opened wide as she saw Logan enter the room. She knew what he was going to do. And the bad thing about it was the fact that Stryker didn't hurt her. He didn't even lay a finger on her.  
  
Stryker had his head in his hands. He could still remember the way she looked at him. Her eyes looked so cold, so uncaring. He didn't know why her forgiveness mattered to him so much. He had hurt so many people in the past, but he wanted her forgiveness above all. He wanted her to accept him in her life.  
  
He pressed his fingers harder against his head. Why was he even feeling that way towards Yuriko? Who was she in his past? Who was Yuriko Oyama in his life?  
  
He suddenly heard someone enter the room.  
  
/"Yuriko?"/ He thought to himself.  
  
Stryker moved his hands from his head and saw Wolverine standing by the door. The anger in Wolverine's face was back and his fists were tightly clenched. He could see the fire in his eyes as he stared at him.  
  
Logan suddenly ran to Stryker and grabbed him by the collar. He gritted his teeth as he stared into his eyes. He knew Stryker would never change. A man like that could never change. Yuriko should have killed him when she had the chance.  
  
"You really can't stop hurting Yuriko, can't you?!" He shouted at his face. He tugged at his collar harder, causing Stryker's head to jerk back from the force.  
  
Stryker's eyebrows furrowed when he heard Wolverine's question.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Stryker asked. He could barely speak with Logan's fists against his neck. "I didn't ---"  
  
Logan suddenly sent a swift hard punch on Stryker's face, causing Stryker to fall hard on the bed. The blood from his lips splattered against the sheets and his glasses flew off his face.  
  
"Don't lie to me, Stryker!!! I know you! You can never change!!! You'll just keep on hurting her!!!" Logan shouted angrily. He could still recall the sadness in Yuriko's face, and that fueled his rage even more. He knew Stryker was the one to blame for her pain.  
  
Stryker placed his hands on the bed and tried to push himself off of it. He could still feel his head spinning from the impact of Wolverine's fist against his skull. He coughed and saw more blood shoot from his mouth onto the bed's cover. He wiped the blood off his lips then turned around and faced Wolverine.  
  
"I didn't hurt her!" He shouted. "I would never want to hurt her!"  
  
"Liar." Wolverine whispered through gritted teeth.  
  
Yuriko was about to follow Logan inside, when the door suddenly swung open. Stryker's body flew out of the doorway and slammed against the other side of the hall like a rag doll. She could see the agony on his face as he landed on the floor. His lips were red with blood, and it trailed down to his collar. She saw his eyes looking at her, but he didn't say anything.  
  
"William." She whispered.  
  
Wolverine marched out of the room with his eyes focused on Stryker. His chest heaved up and down as rugged breaths escaped from his gritted teeth. Yuriko could see the anger in his eyes. Logan was intent to finish what he had started.  
  
He grabbed Stryker from the floor then slammed his back hard against the wall. The wall behind Stryker almost crumbled from the impact of his body against it.  
  
"I'll never let you hurt her again!!!" He shouted at Stryker's face. "NEVER!!!"  
  
He wrapped his arm around Stryker's neck and pinned him on the wall. Stryker gagged as he felt Logan's hand squeeze his neck tightly. He tried to struggle from his grip, but found himself helplessly trapped against the wall behind him.  
  
"When will you stop hurting her?!!" He shouted again. The sound of his voice filled the empty hallway.  
  
Stryker's hands trembled as they grasped Logan's wrist. He tried to pull Logan's hand away from his neck, but Logan just tightened his grip on him. He was not going to let him go now. Stryker was finally at his mercy.  
  
The fire in Logan's eyes burned as he landed another hard punch on Stryker's face. Yuriko watched in horror as Stryker's head whipped to the side from the impact of Logan's fist. She saw some of the blood from his mouth splatter on the wall.  
  
"Logan, stop!!!" She shouted in panic. "He didn't hurt me!!!" She had to stop Logan before he killed him.  
  
But Logan couldn't seem to hear her anymore. He was now trapped in his own little world where his only objective was to kill the man in front of him. He didn't care if Yuriko wanted him alive or not. It was now down to him and Stryker. He was going to settle a score that had been long overdue. He pulled back his clenched fist and unleashed his adamantium claws. He was going to consider Stryker's debt paid with his death.  
  
Logan's eyes suddenly opened wide as he felt a hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked to his side and saw Yuriko holding him back.  
  
"No more, Logan...No more...." She said with a pleading tone in her voice. She didn't want to see any more death. She didn't want to see any more bloodshed. Her life as Lady Deathstrike was already filled with so much of that, and she was tired of it. She was sick of it.  
  
His lips shook as he saw the look on her face. He still couldn't understand how she could plead for the life of the man who once tortured her. He looked at Stryker and saw him still gasping for air. He let him go from his grip and Stryker collapsed on the wall, coughing and breathing air into his mouth.  
  
Logan turned towards Yuriko and noticed the compassion in her eyes. How could she have stayed so human after all those years of being Stryker's slave? How could she still feel pity and compassion, even for those who had hurt her? She was unlike him. He had turned into a blood-thirsty animal who thought of nothing but revenge.  
  
He slowly reached out and wrapped his arms around her body as he pulled her close to him.  
  
"I just don't want him to hurt you anymore, Yuriko. I don't want him to hurt anyone anymore." He whispered.  
  
He knew he had lost control of his anger. When Stryker was in his hands, he just wanted to make him suffer. He couldn't stop his own fist from pummeling his face. And every time he saw him spit his own blood, he wanted to hurt him more. Nothing in the world mattered...Only Stryker's death.  
  
But deep inside he knew that he was wrong. He remembered hitting Stryker again and again even when Yuriko begged for him to stop. He even heard her shout that Stryker was innocent, but he denied to listen to her plea. It was as if he, himself, had shut her out of his life at that moment. The sound of her voice still echoed in his mind. How could he have ignored the very person he was trying to save?  
  
Yuriko closed her eyes and surrendered to the warmth of Logan's arms around her body. She couldn't blame Logan for what he did. What Stryker did to the school was something no one would ever forget. He had caused so much damage had so much pain. He was the reason why the mutants had lost someone very dear to them; a woman named Jean Grey...A woman who Logan cared for so much.  
  
That's why she understood Logan's anger. She also knew how painful it was to lose something so important...She had lost her humanity when Stryker turned her into the creature known as Lady Deathstrike. While her body obeyed his every command, her mind wanted to kill him. She wanted him to feel the pain. The anger she once felt towards Stryker was even greater than the anger she saw in Logan's eyes.  
  
But that was all over now. What's done is done. What happened in the past could never be changed. The dead could never be brought back to life, and the time that had been lost can never be regained. It was about time that they moved on. It was time for everyone to move on.  
  
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TO BE CONTINUED... 


	25. Caught in the middle

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's a long one for you guys !!! Thanks again for all the reviews o --- and don't worry....the rest of the X-Men will be in the next chapter ! As for now, I hope you all enjoy this one o!  
  
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CHAPTER 25: Caught in the middle  
  
She looked over Logan's shoulder and saw Stryker leaning against the wall. He looked like he was still recovering from the beatings he had received earlier. She could see him staring back at her, but there was something different in his eyes. It was as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. What did he want to say? What did he want from her now?  
  
Yuriko averted her eyes from his stare and pressed her cheek against Logan's chest. She couldn't ignore the confusion that lingered in her mind. She knew she should move on and bury the life she had as Lady Deathstrike, but would she really be able to forgive Stryker for everything he had done? Did she have to give him another chance?  
  
Logan gently unwrapped his arms from her body and stared into her eyes. A soft smile appeared on Yuriko's lips as she saw the calmness in Logan's face. Stryker was wrong when he called Logan an animal. Logan was as human as any human could be, and even more.  
  
"I believe now is a good time to talk with the professor." He said.  
  
Logan saw the smile on Yuriko's face and knew that she had forgiven him for what he had done. He didn't want her to think that fighting was the only thing that mattered to him. When they first met, they met as enemies. They fought each other, hurt each other, and he killed her. He saw her die. But now he was grateful that she survived.  
  
"I'll meet you downstairs in front of the elevator." He added. His eyes looked at Stryker. He still despised the sight of him. "Charles wants to talk with him too, so I suggest you go tell your friend to fix himself up."  
  
He gently placed a hand on Yuriko's shoulder and smiled as his eyes looked into hers. "I'll see you soon". He turned around and walked down the hall.  
  
Yuriko's eyes focused on Logan until he turned around a corner and disappeared from her sight. She couldn't wait to see him again. She liked how he looked into her eyes. She also couldn't wait to meet with the professor soon. She wanted to thank the man who had unconditionally accepted her into his family.  
  
She turned around and looked at Stryker. His back was still against the wall. She could see his chest moving up and down as he breathed through his lips.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked. There was a hint of concern in her voice.  
  
Stryker winced in pain as he pushed himself off the wall. He could still feel his entire body aching. He rubbed the back of his neck and groaned. He really thought he was going to die in Logan's hands. He could still remember how he hit the wall hard when he was flung out of the room. And he saw nothing but Logan's fist as he hit him again and again and again. If it weren't for Yuriko, he would probably be dead by now.  
  
"I'm fine." He said firmly as he looked at her.  
  
He straightened his suit and smoothed his tie. His body wanted to lie down and rest, but he didn't want Yuriko to think of him as a weak, pathetic, old man who could barely keep himself on his feet. He knew he was powerless compared to the likes of them, but he still wanted respect. He wanted to keep his dignity intact.  
  
"It was my fault. I apologize." She said, looking at him.  
  
Stryker noticed the warmth in her eyes. He wasn't sure why Yuriko was apologizing, but he liked the way she was looking at him now. It was his first time to see Yuriko look at him without a hint of contempt, or hatred. The anger in her eyes was gone. And the tone of her voice was mellow, as if she was truly concerned. Was he finally starting to reach the woman behind the claws?  
  
Yuriko quickly looked away from Stryker. Her eyes focused on the far end of the hall where Logan had disappeared into.  
  
"You heard what Logan said. We're going to meet with the professor soon." She said firmly. She looked at him again. "You should thank him for letting you stay here. If I was the professor, I wouldn't even know if I could stomach your presence in this mansion."  
  
Stryker's eyes wandered to the floor. "Was the professor...one of the people I hurt when I --- I..." Every time he thought of his past, he just wanted to run away. His previous self seemed like a man cared for no one but himself. He knew he did terrible things...Things that could never be changed. How could he have lived that way for so long?  
  
"You almost killed him, William." Her eyes looked at him. She wanted to see his reaction. She wanted to see how he would react towards the things he himself had done.  
  
Yuriko's words hit him hard. He knew she was staring at him, but he couldn't find the guts to look back. He almost killed the man who had just allowed him to stay in the mansion, the only man who could possibly understand him. His past self now seemed like the exact opposite of the professor. While the professor was a good, kind man who cared for everyone, he, William Stryker, was the man who wanted everyone destroyed.  
  
He slowly moved his eyes to meet hers. "Then...I shall ask for his forgiveness...and hope that he will find me worth forgiving."  
  
"The professor is a kind man. Unlike me, he'll forgive you." She said coldly.  
  
She knew Stryker wanted to change. His previous life haunted him like a nightmare as hers did to her. She didn't want to admit it, but in a way, they were both the same. They both wanted to escape from the past that refused to go away.  
  
She looked away from Stryker and started to walk down the hall towards the elevator. She suddenly felt him reach out for her hand, and as soon as his skin touched hers, she saw another vision.  
  
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She saw herself....In a house. She seemed to be in a living room. She had a suitcase in one hand and she was quickly walking away from someone. She was walking away from --- a man --- Stryker. He was following her. Like in her previous vision, he was also in the same age as her. He looked so young that she almost didn't recognize him.  
  
She saw him grab her wrist, which stopped her from moving in further. She turned around to look at him and then they both started arguing. She couldn't hear anything, but she could see their lips moving so fast. They both looked so angry and so sad at the same time. She could almost see herself on the verge of crying.  
  
The Yuriko in her vision suddenly pulled her hand away from Stryker's grip. He tried to wrap his arms around her, but she screamed and pushed him away. She could see tears running down her cheeks as she turned around and walked away from him.  
  
She saw herself walk out of the front door and into the pouring rain. That was the last she saw of her in that vision. The next thing she saw was Stryker standing in the living room. He looked so angry as his eyes stared at the front door where she exited. She saw him clench his fists, then he followed after her.  
  
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Yuriko's eyes opened wide when she felt Stryker's hand holding hers. She could feel her heart beating so fast as vague images of the vision still lingered in her mind. She turned around and looked at him. Who was William Stryker before she became Lady Deathstrike? Why did she keep on seeing him in her mind?  
  
"Thank you." He said as he gently held her hand. "...For saving my life."  
  
She slowly pulled her hand from him and stepped away. "Don't thank me just yet." She said coldly.  
  
She didn't want to be too close to him right now. She didn't even want to feel his touch in any way. She could still remember the way he wrapped his arms around her in the vision. There was something about it that scared her. It was as if he didn't want to let her go. And the anger in Stryker's face at the end of it scared her even more.  
  
She knew something happened after Stryker went after her. She knew something terrible happened after that. She could feel it in her gut. If only she could remember.  
  
Yuriko turned away from him and walked down the hall towards the elevator. Stryker sighed and followed after her. He knew they were going to be with that Logan again, and he hated the thought of it. He didn't like it whenever that man was around. He hated the way Yuriko looked at Logan. He didn't know why, but he hated it.  
  
The two of them took the elevator to the first floor and met up with Logan on the main entrance of the mansion.  
  
"Yuriko." He said with a smile on his face. He was definitely glad to see her again. Seeing her made him forget about the pain of Jean's death. Perhaps someday, she would make him forget about Jean herself.  
  
His eyes narrowed as he saw Stryker following after her. He still couldn't understand why the professor let him stay in the mansion.  
  
"I do hope you briefed him about the meeting with the professor." He said firmly.  
  
"Don't worry, Logan. I did." She said as she looked back at him. She knew he was glad to see her again too. She couldn't understand it, but whenever they were together, they felt like two parts of one whole.  
  
Logan looked at Stryker and glared at him. "Because if he pulls another one of his stunts, I'll make him experience hell on earth and guarantee that he stays there until he dies."  
  
Stryker arched an eyebrow and looked back at Logan. "Hell on earth? I'm sorry to spoil your fun, my friend, but I've apparently been there before. It seems that even hell doesn't want me in it. And I doubt that it wants me back." He said with a mocking tone in his voice.  
  
Logan suddenly unleashed his claws and marched towards his nemesis. His eyes flared with anger as he gritted his teeth. He'd had enough of that man's pride. How dare he mock him after what just happened between them?  
  
Stryker saw Logan heading towards him and stared back into his eyes. If he had to fight Logan, then he would. He'd had enough of Yuriko doing all the fighting for him. He didn't want to rely on her anymore. If Logan was going to kill him, then he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He clenched his fist and headed straight towards Logan.  
  
Yuriko suddenly had a panicked look on her face as she saw the two men heading towards each other. Both of them looked eager to fight. She had to do something before another battle ensued before her. She'd had enough of their mindless, childish skirmishes.  
  
She quickly ran between Logan and Stryker and pushed them apart before either of them could lay a finger on one another. She could feel them struggling as she kept them away from each other's fists, or in Stryker's case, Logan's claws.  
  
"Let me go, Yuriko!" Logan shouted. His eyes were focused on Stryker.  
  
"This is a fight between two men. Step aside and let us finish this." Stryker said as he angrily stared at Logan.  
  
"ENOUGH!!! I've had enough of you two!!!" She shouted angrily. The sound of her voice echoed in the main entrance.  
  
The two men calmed down, but she could still feel the tension in the air.  
  
Yuriko looked at Stryker with her hand still on his chest. "You! You don't stand a chance against Logan. If I let you go, you'll find your body scattered all over the floor even before you could touch him." She said imposingly.  
  
Then she turned her head towards Logan. "And you, Logan, please. Don't let him get to you." She said with a begging tone in her voice.  
  
"Just tell him to keep his mouth shut next time." Logan said firmly.  
  
Stryker's eyes glared at Logan. "I'll only keep my mouth shut after I've buried my fist in your face." He said.  
  
"William!" She shouted at him.  
  
Logan stepped away from Yuriko and retracted his claws. He looked at Stryker and arched an eyebrow. "Fine. If punching me is the only way for him to keep his big mouth shut, then let him do it." A sly smile curled up the corner of his lips.  
  
"What!?" Yuriko asked with a curious look on her face.  
  
He looked at Yuriko and smiled. "And for you, Yuriko, I won't even fight back."  
  
"Logan, what do you think you're doing?" She asked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him.  
  
Stryker pulled away from Yuriko and straightened his suit. He walked in front of Logan and stared into his eyes.  
  
"He probably thinks I can't punch hard enough." Stryker said. His jaw tightened as he looked at the man who had challenged him. "I'm warning you, my friend. I may not have your flashy claws, but I still got what it takes to take down a fully grown man."  
  
Stryker's arrogance almost made him laugh. "Well I'm a fully grown man. Let's see if you can take me down." Logan said in a rather cocky way.  
  
Stryker looked at Yuriko. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to your friend, Yuriko. As you can see, he was the one who brought this upon himself."  
  
He clenched his fist and pulled it back. He wanted to take down Logan in one punch. He gritted his teeth and sent a swift, hard punch on Logan's cheek. The force of Stryker's fist looked fast and hard enough to break through a wooden wall.  
  
The room was filled with silence, as the two men remained standing. Stryker was expecting Logan to fall any time soon, but he just stood there unmoving. He didn't even flinch when Stryker's fist hit his face.  
  
"Looks like you were wrong after all." He said.  
  
Stryker quickly pulled his fist away from Logan and cried out in agony. The sound of his scream echoed in the main entrance of the mansion. He cradled his fist on his chest and continued to groan in pain.  
  
"Oh God, what is your skull made off?!" He screamed through gritted teeth. "Dammit! I think my hand's broken!" He hissed.  
  
"Funny of you to ask." Logan said with a mocking tone in his voice. "After all, it was you who made me this way." He smiled and tapped a finger on the cheek where Stryker had punched him. "Thanks for the adamantium, bub."  
  
Stryker glared at him as he continued to wince in agony. He could barely move his fingers due to the intense pain and soreness in his knuckles. He couldn't even touch his hand without hurting it.  
  
"I guess that settles it then." Logan said. "From now on, you keep your mouth shut while I do all the talkin'." The sight before him was almost laughable. He knew Stryker didn't stand a chance against him, but he had to teach him a lesson.  
  
Yuriko sighed. "You could have at least warned him about the adamantium, Logan." She said as she looked at him.  
  
Logan shrugged. "Hey, he was the one who got himself into this." He looked at Stryker and saw him still trying desperately to move his fingers. "At least now he knows who he's dealing with."  
  
Stryker straightened himself and carefully moved his sore hand to his side. "This is not the end, Logan." He said as he looked at him angrily.  
  
Logan scratched his head and looked at Yuriko. "He really doesn't give up that easily, doesn't he?"  
  
"Well, if there's one trait he retained from his previous self, it's his perseverance. And trust me, when he wants something, he won't stop until he gets it." She knew it was true, and that sent chills up her spine.  
  
She could still remember how the previous Stryker talked about his plans to kill the entire world's mutant population. The fury in his voice and the anger in his eyes still lingered in her mind. To kill them all was his life's only objective. He looked like a man who would never let anyone and anything stand in his way.  
  
If he hadn't lost his memories, she knew she would have killed him without any second thoughts, even if that meant losing her only chance to regain her past.  
  
Logan saw Yuriko deep in thought and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Yuriko. He won't be getting what he wants this time. I guarantee that." He glared at Stryker.  
  
Stryker clenched his jaw as his eyes met Logan's. He hated it whenever they talked about his past. Why did they always have to talk about the man he used to be? For once he wanted them to talk to him as he was now. But then, even he doesn't know if he had truly changed. What if deep inside, he was still the man he once was?  
  
"Anyway, we better get going." Logan said as he walked past Yuriko. "Charles is very much looking forward to meeting the newest member of the team." He smiled at her, then led the way to the study.  
  
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to be continued.... 


	26. Acceptance

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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NEXT CHAPTER UP o!!! bows down to the reviewers . Love ya' guys o!  
  
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CHAPTER 26 : Acceptance  
  
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Professor Xavier called on all the core team members to attend a brief meeting in the study. Ororo, Rogue, Bobby, and their newest member, Kurt, arrived for the announcement. Scott entered the room shortly after Kurt had teleported into it. He was now going to inform them of Yuriko Oyama and William Stryker's presence in the mansion.  
  
The study was filled with silence as Scott entered the room. Each and every one of them still felt the pain and sadness of Jean's death. And out of all of them, it was Scott who hurt the most. He loved Jean more than anything else. He loved her so much, that if Logan hadn't stopped him, he would have gladly joined her in the icy depths of the lake. Then at least they would still be together.  
  
He still couldn't understand why she had to die. If only he could have done something to save her. If only he was stronger and more powerful. But he wasn't...and it just proved that good things, great things, don't last forever, even if you want them to.  
  
He had left the mansion early in the morning and only came back just because the professor requested it. He just wanted to drive and drive and think of the times he had spent with Jean. But every time he thought of her, the pain grew ten times more. He hurt so much that he could barely breathe. He wanted the pain to go away, but he didn't want to forget about her. He was trapped in a love that was now lost.  
  
"Welcome back, Scott." The professor said.  
  
Scott just nodded. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment. The professor knew Scott's pain, and he understood that. Even if he couldn't see Scott's eyes, he could still feel the sadness in them.  
  
The professor looked at all of them and smiled. He, too, felt sadness for Jean's passing, but he didn't want it to interfere with the task at hand. "You may all be wondering why I called you here today." He moved himself closer to them.  
  
"You may find this announcement rather inappropriate after the events that just transpired, but the school had just accepted a new mutant to be a part of its family." He said with a calm, fatherly tone in his voice.  
  
Scott's eyebrows furrowed. "A new mutant in the school? Have we met him before?"  
  
The professor smiled and looked at him. "He is actually a she, Scott. And yes, we have met her before. She once went by the name...Lady Deathstrike."  
  
"Lady Deathstrike?!" Scott asked angrily. "Wasn't she the mutant who worked for Stryker?! How can we accept her in the team after what just happened?!"  
  
He couldn't believe the professor had freely accepted an enemy into the school. He remembered how she attacked him when he and the professor went to visit Magneto's prison cell. She was the mutant who had abilities similar to Logan's and was somehow even stronger and more agile than her male counterpart.  
  
A look of concern could clearly be seen on Ororo's face "Are you sure about this, professor?" She asked. She didn't know much about Lady Deathstrike, but she knew that the mutant worked for William Stryker during the Alkali Lake incident.  
  
"I am positive about her, Ororo." He said with a smile.  
  
He looked at Scott and noticed the infuriated look on his face. "Scott, you know as well as I do that Yuriko Oyama was under Stryker's mind-control drug when she was Lady Deathstrike. You have been under that drug before. You have experienced its horrors." His voice sounded firm, but mild.  
  
"Your body did things you didn't want to do and yet you couldn't do anything about it. The drug didn't give either of you the freedom to control what you were doing. You of all people should understand the nightmare she had gone through. She's a new person now, Scott. And she's willing to live a new life. What kind of school would this be if it won't even accept a mutant who needs our help?"  
  
Scott couldn't deny the truth behind the professor's words. He had been under the drug before and the things he did under its influence still haunted him up to this day. He hurt Jean...He almost killed her, and he couldn't do anything about it. He felt so helpless as he watched himself blast her with his optic rays.  
  
And the professor was also right about the school. The mansion was meant to be a haven for mutants, especially to those who have been denied the joys of the world. He wanted to see Yuriko as she was now. And he wanted to know if she was really worthy of being accepted into the team.  
  
"Where is she?" He asked with a mild tone in his voice.  
  
"I asked Logan to fetch her from her room." He answered with a gentle smile. He knew he was able to reach out to Scott. He did not want a feeling of enmity between Yuriko and the team in their first real meeting.  
  
The professer's eyes suddenly wandered to the floor then he moved himself by the window. "And another thing..." He said. His eyes focused on the view outside. "She had brought a companion with her."  
  
Kurt had an excited look on his face. "A companion? You mean another mutant? Someone who is like us? Like her?"  
  
The professor turned around and looked at him. "No, Kurt. He is no mutant. And like Yuriko, we have met him before. His name is William Stryker." He said firmly.  
  
Everyone's eyes suddenly opened wide with shock.  
  
"What?!" Shouted Scott angrily. His eyes sparked under his sunglasses. "You mean William Stryker?! Colonel William Stryker?! The man responsible for the Alkali Lake incident?!" He said with immense anger in his voice.  
  
"How could you let him stay here?!" He knew he was shouting at Charles, but he couldn't control his hatred for Stryker. "That man almost killed us all! If it weren't for him, Jean wouldn't have died!!! He used you, professor! And he used me too! We practically let the devil into our front door!"  
  
Rogue, Bobby, Ororo and Kurt were all taken aback by Scott's fury. But they knew they couldn't blame him. They all hated William Stryker too, and they were also surprised with the professor's decision to let him stay in the mansion.  
  
"I know what he had done, Scott. But he doesn't. Like Logan, Stryker had lost all memories of his past. He probably doesn't realize it yet, but a part of him wants to start anew too. Some people deserve a second chance. And apparently, he's one of them."  
  
"But he doesn't deserve a second chance, Charles!" Scott shouted. "The damage had already been dealt! Just look at what he had done! Look at the pain he brought upon this mansion! Do you think he can bring Jean back from the dead?! He can't! No one can!"  
  
Scott gritted his teeth and looked away from the professor. He placed a hand over his sunglasses as he tried to hold back his tears. The conflicting feeling of anger and sadness within him just made him want to cry out in frustration. He just lost the love of his life, and now the man who had caused her death was about to live under the same roof as him. Fate definitely had its own twisted ways of tying up lose ends.  
  
Ororo walked up to Scott and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Scott. The professor knows what he's doing." She said, hoping to calm him down.  
  
He exhaled and took his hand away from his glasses. He turned around and looked at Charles. "I'm sorry, professor." He said in a low voice.  
  
He knew he didn't have the right to talk to Charles the way he just did. He shouted at the professor and questioned his actions, when the only thing the professor wanted to do was to help a lost soul in need, even if that soul was their former nemesis William Stryker.  
  
"Just don't let him near me." Scott whispered as his eyes looked out the window. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I get my hands on him." He clenched his jaw at the thought of seeing him again.  
  
He could still remember the horrors of Stryker's mind control drug. And it just wasn't the drug's effects that angered him. The inhumane procedure of getting the mutants ready for the drug infuriated him too.  
  
There was suddenly a knock on the door and everyone's eyes focused on the study's doorway. The doorknob slowly twisted and the door opened. Logan stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
He arched an eyebrow when he saw Ororo, Scott, Bobby, Rogue and Kurt already in the study with the professor. "I guess the party's already started." He said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.  
  
He looked at Scott and nodded at him. "Good to see ya' back. You were gone for a while."  
  
"Where are they?" Scott asked coldly. He didn't even seem to acknowledge Logan's warm welcome. He knew Logan had brought them with him, and that they were probably waiting outside the study.  
  
Logan looked at everyone in the room and saw the anticipation in their eyes. "So I see you were already informed about Yuriko and Stryker's stay in the mansion."  
  
He noticed the angry look in Scott's face at the mention of Stryker's name. "Trust me. I don't like the fact that he's here either. But we can't do anything about that now, huh?" He momentarily glanced at the professor.  
  
"As for Yuriko...." He added. "She has changed. I know. I fought with her once. I almost died in her hands. But now that she's free from the effects of the drug, she wants to start a new life. Some of you experienced what she'd been through". He looked at Scott and Kurt. "...I do believe she deserves a second chance. And I know we're the right people to give her that." He tried to maintain the toughness of his voice. He didn't want anyone to think he had a soft spot for Yuriko.  
  
Rogue was quite taken aback by Logan's words. She had never heard him talk about anyone that way. It usually took days for Logan to warm up to a newcomer, but he already seemed to care for this Yuriko. It was as if he truly did want her to stay.  
  
What made it more surprising was the fact that she was his former nemesis. There was definitely something different in Logan. Rogue couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but it was something she hadn't seen in him before.  
  
"You will all understand once you meet her." Logan said as he looked at his teammates.  
  
He opened the door and signaled Yuriko to enter the study.  
  
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	27. Lost and found

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's the next chapter o! Eheheh...sorry if the last one ended in a cliffhanger x.x! LMAO! (sorry about that, tp96. lol)  
  
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CHAPTER 27: Lost and found  
  
She slowly entered the room and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She still wasn't sure how they would react to her joining the team. After all, when they first met, she was their enemy.  
  
She stood close to Logan and smiled as she looked back at them. She didn't want to appear distant and nervous. She wanted them to know that she was ready to start anew. That she truly wanted to be a part of their family and work by their side. She wanted them to know that she was a friend now...Not a foe.  
  
Her eyes looked at Scott. She remembered fighting him once. He was the mutant called 'Cyclops'. She wasn't sure how he looked at her now, but she hoped he had forgiven her for the things she had done as Lady Deathstrike. Even if she was under the drug when she attacked him, it was still her body that hurt him. And in Scott's eyes, she probably still appeared as the person she was before.  
  
Logan gently placed a hand on Yuriko's shoulder. "Guys, this is Yuriko Oyama." He said as he looked at the other mutants.  
  
Yuriko smiled and slightly nodded her head. She looked into their eyes and felt the warmth that emanated from them. "It is wonderful to finally meet all of you. I know we have met before, but...but I wasn't myself and...and now this is my first time to meet you as Yuriko....And...And not as Lady Deathstrike." Her eyes wandered to the floor. She really didn't want to talk about her past anymore.  
  
Kurt suddenly teleported in front of Yuriko and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, friend." He gently pulled away and looked into her eyes. "You're free now." He said with a smile on his lips. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I too was once lost. But they have found me. And now I belong to a family, and so do you."  
  
She smiled as she looked into Kurt's eyes. She couldn't hide the happiness that filled her heart. Like Scott, she remembered Kurt too. She remembered him as the mutant Stryker used to instigate his operation. He was once under the drug like her, but he was free now, and he looked so happy. Perhaps someday, she too will become a vital and loved member of the team like him.  
  
There was a look of serenity in Scott's face as he looked at Yuriko. He noticed the calmness in her eyes and the natural smile on her lips. She was definitely a different person now. She looked so alive and so human. The Deathstrike who attacked him before looked like a living shell of a robot whose only desire was to fight and kill for its master. But this new Yuriko looked so free and so passionate about life.  
  
Kurt stepped aside as Rogue approached Yuriko.  
  
"Hi." Rogue said with a smile. "Welcome to the school. I'm usually called Rogue, but you can also call me Marie." She reached out her hand to her.  
  
Yuriko shook Rogue's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Marie." She said with a smile.  
  
Bobby stepped beside Rogue and shook Yuriko's hand too. "And I'm Bobby Drake, Rogue boyfriend." He smiled. "Some call me Iceman."  
  
"And why is that?" Yuriko asked curiously.  
  
Bobby placed his hand over Yuriko and she suddenly felt something cold forming on her palm. He took his hand away and Yuriko found a small heart- shaped ice sitting on the palm of her hand.  
  
"Well that's a pretty neat trick." She said, smiling.  
  
Rogue smiled and took the heart-shaped ice from Yuriko's hand. "And I think that belongs to me." She said in a joking way as she looked at Bobby.  
  
"Then make sure you keep it with you at all times. You know how men are." She said with a smile. She was quite surprised with what she had just said. She talked as if she had fallen in love before.  
  
Has she fallen in love before?  
  
Ororo approached her and smiled. "And I'm Ororo. Ororo Munroe. I am also known as Storm."  
  
Yuriko nodded at her. "It's nice to meet you too, Ororo." She said, smiling.  
  
Ororo stepped aside as Scott walked in front of Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko looked at him and forced a smile upon her lips. She could still feel the uncertainty in her heart. The other mutants seemed to like her, but she still wasn't sure if Scott would gladly accept her in the team. "Hello, Scott. I have been looking forward to meeting you." She said.  
  
Scott slowly took her hand and gently clasped his hands around it. "And it's a pleasure to finally meet you too, Yuriko. I too have been looking forward to meeting the real you." He said as he smiled. "Welcome to the team."  
  
The smile on her lips grew wider as she heard his words. "Thank you, Scott." She said. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and cry tears of joy. Scott's acceptance was proof that she was now truly a part of the X-Men.  
  
She looked pass Scott and saw the professor on his wheelchair. Seeing him filled her heart with serenity and peace. Now she knew why he was a father figure to everyone in the mansion. He was a respectable, kind and generous man who only worked for the betterment of both humans and mutants alike. She was now going to meet him, not as an enemy, but as a member of his own team.  
  
She walked towards him and knelt by his side. She smiled and placed her hand over his.  
  
"Thank you, professor." She said, looking into his eyes. "Thank you so much for giving me a new life when I thought I had lost mine." She gently squeezed his hand as tears slowly started to roll down her cheeks. They weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy.  
  
"When I escaped death, I finally regained myself, but I felt so alone. I thought I would never belong anywhere. I thought I would forever wander the world alone, looking for things I don't even know. But...But now that I'm here...Now that you have accepted me, I have finally found a place I can call home, with people I can call family."  
  
Charles reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "And I am glad that you have found your way to us, Yuriko." He said with a smile. "You will never be alone again. Not anymore. Treat this mansion as your own home from now on."  
  
Logan smiled as he saw the happiness in Yuriko's face. He could still remember how he first ended up in the mansion. He too was once like her. Before he met the professor, he also didn't have a place he called home. He just wandered from one place to another like a nomad who only strived to survive. But now, both of them finally belonged somewhere. The ones who have been lost have finally found their way home.  
  
Yuriko stood up and looked at everyone. "Thank you." She said, smiling. "I really can't wait to work with the school. I really want to do whatever I can to help." She felt so excited at the thought of working with her teammates.  
  
She also couldn't wait to see more of the mansion and meet all of its inhabitants. She wanted to spend the rest of her life there. She looked at Logan and smiled. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the happiness in his face. She loved looking at his familiar smile.  
  
The door suddenly opened and Stryker stepped inside. The room was filled with silence as he walked into the study. Everyone's eyes were focused on him. Scott clenched his fists as he saw the man responsible for Jean's death. He just wanted to kill him right now and make him suffer for what he had done...Not just what he did to them, or to Jean, but to all the mutants he had captured and killed.  
  
Stryker gulped as his heart pounded in his chest. He could see the anger that emanated from their eyes, except for the professor who smiled at his arrival. He knew they were the mutants he had tried to kill before. And he knew they all hated him with so much passion. He didn't even doubt if one of them suddenly killed him at that moment. He knew he deserved it. He deserved to be ridiculed and judged.  
  
He rubbed his hands together and breathed in deeply. He couldn't hide the nervousness that filled his gut. "Hello." He said, his voice almost shaking. "I am..."  
  
"We know who you are." Scott said coldly. He could feel his jaw tightening. The more he saw him, the more he wanted to kill him.  
  
He walked towards Stryker and stood in front of him. If only Stryker could see the fury in his eyes. "You don't need to introduce yourself to us anymore. We already know you too well." He said through gritted teeth. "If I were you, I'd consider leaving this mansion at once. You had already done so much damage here." He pushed Stryker aside and exited the room.  
  
Stryker's eyes wandered to the floor as Scott left the study. So it was true. He truly had been there before. The man with the sunglasses was living proof that he had done something terrible in that mansion. And his vision was another proof of it.  
  
He was the one responsible for all those deaths. He was the one responsible for all those unconscious children. He was the reason why everything happened the way it did. But why would he do that? Why would he do such a thing to such a peaceful place? He still couldn't understand.  
  
His eyes remained on the floor. He couldn't find the guts to look at the other mutants. He knew he would see the same anger in their eyes. He felt like a guilty suspect in a room filled with judges.  
  
The professor looked at everyone in the room. "If it is all right with all of you, I would just like to have some time alone with our guests." He said with a smile. Then he looked at Logan. "Logan, you may stay if you want."  
  
Logan nodded. He still couldn't understand why he always wanted to be by her side. It was as if a part of him wanted to know more about her. And every time he wasn't with her, he longed for her company. She felt like something he had lost...and found.  
  
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TBC ! 


	28. Dilemma

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's the next chapter o!!! Thanks for the reviews !  
  
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CHAPTER 28: Dilemma  
  
Ororo, Rogue, Bobby and Kurt bade goodbye to Yuriko and they exited the room one by one. Three of them looked at Stryker coldly as they walked pass by him. As for Kurt, he walked towards him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Stryker looked up and saw the blue-skinned man smiling at him. The man's eyes were void of anger and hatred, unlike the others who looked at him with so much contempt.  
  
"My name is Kurt Wagner...And I forgive you." Whispered Kurt.  
  
Stryker forced a smile upon his lips. He could see the sincerity in Kurt's eyes. "Thank you." He whispered. Out of all the people he had met, it was the blue-skinned man, the man who looked the most different, who had forgiven him.  
  
Kurt nodded at him and then disappeared in a blue cloud of smoke.  
  
Stryker suddenly jumped back as he saw Kurt vanish right in front of his very eyes. He had a shocked expression on his face as if he couldn't believe what just happened. Things and people couldn't just disappear into thin air. That was impossible.  
  
"He's gone!" He shouted as he looked at Yuriko. His eyes wandered around the room and found no sign of Kurt anywhere. "Where did he go?!" He asked with a worried look on his face. He reached out in front of him, trying to feel if Kurt was still there. "He was just standing here a while ago and -- - and he just disappeared. He just vanished!" He said with a panicked tone in his voice. He looked at Logan and the professor. "Didn't you even see what just happened?!"  
  
Logan couldn't believe what he was seeing. To think that William Stryker was the man who chose to use Kurt because of his teleporting abilities. And now, that same William Stryker was acting as if he didn't even know that teleporting mutants, or teleporting, itself, even existed.  
  
The professor looked at the panicked Stryker and smiled. "Calm down, William. Kurt is all right. He is a teleporter." He said calmly.  
  
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. "A tele-what?" He asked curiously.  
  
"A teleporter." Said Logan firmly. "He can disappear from one place, then reappear on another." The current Stryker's stupidity was gnawing at him. He couldn't believe that was the same man who almost killed the entire mutant population. The current Stryker probably didn't even know what Cerebro was.  
  
"So...You mean he's still in the mansion? He...he didn't disappear completely? He's still alive?" He asked. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.  
  
"Of course he is! Didn't you just hear what I said?!" Logan asked angrily.  
  
Charles placed his hand on Logan's lower arm. "It's all right, Logan. As you can see, Mr. Stryker still has a lot of catching up to do." He looked at Stryker and motioned his hand towards one of the chairs. "Please do sit down and make yourself comfortable."  
  
"Thank you, professor." He said calmly. He glared at Logan as he sat down on the chair nearest to the professor.  
  
"And you too, Ms. Oyama." Charles said, looking at Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko smiled and sat down on the chair facing Stryker's. She could see Stryker looking at her with that strange, longing look again. What did he truly want from her? She couldn't even read his actions anymore. Ever since they met Logan in the mansion, he had been acting so strangely.  
  
Stryker suddenly noticed Yuriko looking into his eyes and he quickly looked away from her. He looked at the professor and offered him a handshake. "By the way, I don't want to appear rude. My name is William Stryker."  
  
The professor smiled and shook his hand. "I know." He said.  
  
"Yeah. I guess you would..." He placed his hand on his lap and nervously rubbed them against each other. He could still feel the soreness in his knuckles, but that didn't bother him anymore. There were greater things, non-physical things, which bothered him now. "...After all, I know I've been here before." He could hear his own voice slightly shaking. He couldn't even look at the professor in the eyes. "I know I hurt you, and I hurt the others. I hurt the children too. There were so many of them, looking at me with lifeless eyes." His lips shook as he remembered his vision. His eyes looked like they were staring into nothingness.  
  
"William." The professor said. He could see the empty look on Stryker's face. "Mr. Stryker?"  
  
Stryker's eyes suddenly looked at the professor. Charles' voice seemed to have snapped him out of his trance. "I'm sorry....I....I was just thinking of something." He said.  
  
The professor looked deeply into his eyes. "There are some things...that are better left in the past, my friend. History has taught us that we are shaped by our past experiences. While most of us have benefited from it, others have been misled by it. But when those who have been led astray decide to forget about their past and move on to the future, then they are given the chance to become better persons. Everyone deserves a second chance, William. And you are being offered yours."  
  
Stryker nodded, but the professor's words weren't enough to bring him comfort. He didn't know if he would be able to forget the images in his mind. He looked at Yuriko and still saw the coldness in her eyes. How could he completely let go of the past, when it was right in front of him?  
  
Yuriko looked away from Stryker, then turned towards Charles. "Ironically, professor, the past is the primary reason why we're here." She said with a tone of uncertainty in her voice.  
  
Charles looked at Yuriko and Stryker, and then moved himself towards the window. He focused his eyes on the luscious view outside the transparent glass. At times he wished that the world could be as simple and as beautiful as his surroundings. But he knew it could never be that way. It will always be as complex and as deep as the people who inhabit it.  
  
"I know, Yuriko. You long to have your past back." He said as he looked outside the window. "That is why you brought William here. He is the only one whose mind still contains the memories of who you once were." The professor turned around and looked at her.  
  
Yuriko looked back at the professor with eyes that seemed to long for an answer to a question that lingered in her heart. Did she still really want her past back?  
  
When she surfaced from the underground base, the first thing she wanted to do was to find the past she had lost. She wanted to know who she was before she fell into her decade-long nightmare as Stryker's slave. It was the only thing she wanted, the only thing she longed for.  
  
But now that she was at the end of her journey, now that the professor was right in front of her, she wasn't sure if she still wanted to rediscover her past. Everything was so perfect now. She finally had a home, friends, family, and a life. She now had a new life.  
  
What if her past suddenly reveals something that will change the way she looks at the world forever? Was discovering the past worth risking the future?  
  
Charles noticed the troubled look on Yuriko's face. He could see the inner struggle in her eyes. He knew she was having doubts about her past, and he didn't want to impose a decision on her. He wanted her to decide for herself, whether she still wanted to rediscover her past, or not.  
  
"Do you still want to remember your past, Yuriko?" He asked with a gentle tone in his voice. He wanted to give her time to think. Unfortunately, time was not a luxury for Yuriko. For there was something that the professor still had to reveal.  
  
Yuriko's eyes darted from left to right. Did she still want it back? Did she? She looked up at Logan, and then looked at the professor.  
  
"If I decide to postpone the procedure....Perhaps next week or....I...I just need some time to decide if I really....." She could barely keep her thoughts straight. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.  
  
The professor could understand Yuriko's conflicting emotions. Any person who had lost his past would long for it. But the past may hold things and surprises that could hurt and damage the person himself. An unknown past was a like sharp, double-edged sword that could cut deep and make one bleed.  
  
"Unfortunately, time is not on our side, Yuriko. I suggest you make your decision soon." He said firmly.  
  
Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" She asked.  
  
The professor looked at Stryker. "As long as William's memories remain lost, we can extract your past from his mind. I am not sure how long it's going to take before he gets his memories back, but when he does, I won't be able to retrieve your memories from him anymore."  
  
She suddenly clenched her fists. She couldn't believe what the professor had just said. She almost wanted to jump off her seat. "What?!" She asked with an angry, shocked look on her face. "But...But there is no difference whether he's aware of his past or not! If he does remember who he was, then...then...well, it won't make any difference! It's still the same mind! It's not as if his entire brain is going to change once he reverts to his former self!"  
  
"It's not as simple as that, Yuriko." He looked at Stryker, and then he looked at Yuriko. "You see, William has a chip implanted in his brain. It gives him the ability to deny telepaths like me access to his thoughts and memories. I sensed its presence when I first encountered him in the Alkali Lake incident. That probably explains why he was able to protect himself from Jason's illusions. Hence, I cannot probe his mind if he doesn't want me to. And I doubt that the previous Stryker would allow that."  
  
Yuriko leaned back against her chair and sighed. "I can't believe this is happening..." She whispered as she closed her eyes. She didn't expect things to get that complicated. But then, she also didn't think that she would have a dilemma about her past.  
  
She took a deep breath and then sat up straight, her eyes looking at the professor. "So what you're saying, professor, is that I don't have enough time to decide on whether I still want to go through the procedure or not."  
  
"That is correct, Yuriko." The professor said. "I suggest you think about it tonight and decide on what you really want. You can give me your decision tomorrow morning. I will meet you and Mr. Stryker here in the study once you have made up your mind."  
  
She nodded in agreement to the professor's suggestion. "Yes. I...I guess I really do need to think about this." She said with uncertainty in her voice.  
  
Even with the professor's guidance, she still felt so lost. She could feel herself being torn apart. She wanted to remember her past, but she feared it too. She was scared of what she might see in Stryker's mind. What if the past just ends up hurting her in the end? Then she would have to bear the pain and remember each bittersweet memory for the rest of her life. Was a glimpse of the past worth it all?  
  
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TBC o... 


	29. Innocence is bliss

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Thank you for the wonderful reviews, SKETTY24 and TOPWITCH o!!! Here's the next chapter....and it looks like Yuriko isn't the only one questioning her past ;)!  
  
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CHAPTER 29: Innocence is bliss  
  
Stryker looked at Yuriko and noticed the confusion in her eyes. He knew what she was going through because he also feared what the past might unearth. He once wanted to remember his past too. He would have done anything and given everything to remember the person he once was. But after seeing the monstrous outcomes of his past actions, after awakening in a world that hated his every move, he didn't want to remember anymore. He just wanted his past to fade away like a long-forgotten dream...like a faded painting never to be restored.  
  
He clasped his hands together and looked at the professor. "So...how long before I regain my memories? How long before I remember everything?" He asked nervously. He hoped it wouldn't be too soon.  
  
"I am really not sure, William." The professor said. "Your retrograde amnesia is different than any of the ones I've encountered before. Unlike Yuriko and Logan's memory loss, yours was brought about unintentionally by the device in your brain. So it all depends on how long the device can keep your memories a part of your subconscious."  
  
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. He barely understood what the professor just said. "What do you mean different?" He asked curiously. "Look, I didn't even know I had something wedged in my brain until you told Yuriko about it. I don't even know what it's doing up there! Something about telepathy or something like that. And now you're telling me that it's the reason why I can't remember a thing about my past?!"  
  
He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. "I know what amnesia is, okay?" He asked, looking at the professor. "I know it as much as I know what chess is and what a table is and what a window is and what a book is." His eyes wandered at the different objects in the room.  
  
He walked towards the window and looked at the view outside. "I can even tell the difference between a tree and flower, a daisy and a rose, black and white, a man and woman, north and south...." Then he looked at Charles. "I can even read...and write...and tell you that one plus one equals two."  
  
"...But I can't remember a thing about my past. Nothing. Not even the name of my very own mother, or where I was born." He said as he looked at Charles. "This..." He pointed at his temple. "This is not amnesia. And you know what?" He looked at Yuriko. "I don't even want to remember the past anymore...and now you're telling me that I'm going to remember it whether I like it or not? Don't I have a choice like her?!" He pointed at Yuriko.  
  
Stryker suddenly clenched his fists tightly. "Because I know that once I remember the past....." He looked at the professor with anger in his eyes...so much anger and hatred.  
  
Yuriko noticed the sudden change in Stryker. He didn't seem like the innocent and naive Stryker anymore. She could see the intense fury in his eyes as he stared at the professor. There was something different in Stryker...something different, and yet very familiar.  
  
He gritted his teeth as he looked at Charles. "....Once I remember the past....I know I will remember....What Jason did. I will remember...How he killed her!" He shouted through gritted teeth as rugged breaths escaped from his lips.  
  
Logan also noticed the rapid switch in Stryker's persona, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the way he was looking at Charles. The anger in his eyes was so intense, so pure. It was as if he had completely transformed into another person...a person who was fueled only by hatred and revenge. He could see Stryker's fists shaking as he clenched them so tightly. He suddenly realized what was going on, and was about to lunge at Stryker, when the professor mentally paralyzed him in place.  
  
/"Calm down, Logan. Everything's going to be fine."/ Charles told him telepathically.  
  
"He killed her!" Stryker shouted angrily. "He made her suffer so much, that the only escape she had was death!!!" He emphasized every word, each of them said with so much resentment and hatred. He looked at Logan and Yuriko "You two...You think you have the right to question me...to judge me for what I had done. Well you know what? You hurt me first. If you only knew...."  
  
Then his eyes darted to the professor. "And you....Professor Charles Xavier...You think you can help everyone. You think you can save everyone from this twisted, merciless, imperfect world that we live in! Well you can't!!! You can't save everyone!!!" He shouted.  
  
/"He's starting to remember...."/ Yuriko thought to herself. Her eyes opened wide with fear as she watched Stryker. She could barely move as she saw the immense anger in his eyes. And the fury in his voice sent chills up her spine. Why couldn't she find the courage to attack him? Why did she fear him again? How come whenever he became his past self, she couldn't fight?  
  
The professor looked at Stryker. There was calmness in Charles' face as he looked into Stryker's eyes. "I do the best that I can to save both mutants and humans alike. That is why the school is always ----"  
  
"LIAR!!!" Shouted Stryker as he took a step towards the professor. "I came to you for help, but you couldn't save me, or my son! You're the reason why my life ended up the way it did! I could have been a father and a husband, but you couldn't save us!!! You ruined my life!!!" He suddenly grabbed the solid glass paperweight from the table and swiftly moved it towards the professor's face.  
  
/"Let me go, Charles!!!"/ Logan's thoughts cried out as he saw Stryker's hand moving towards the professor's face. He tried to struggle against the professor's mental paralysis, but Charles just held him in place. He couldn't even move a single part of his body. /"Charles!!!!"/  
  
"William!!!" Yuriko suddenly shouted, her voice filling the study.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide and saw his hand gripping on a paperweight. It was the paperweight he saw earlier on the desk. He also saw his hand a couple of inches away from the professor's face. What was he doing? What was he trying to do?  
  
He stepped away from the professor and let the paperweight slip from his hand. It landed on the carpet with a soft thud. He could feel his hands shaking as he looked into the professor's eyes. Did he just try to hurt him again? He moved his eyes away from Charles and looked at the woman whose voice had called him back from the darkness.  
  
"Yuriko." He whispered. "I....I didn't know what I was doing. It was like I fell into a nightmare and...a part of me...a part of me just did things I couldn't control. And then I heard your voice. And..." He stopped as he noticed the look on Yuriko's face.  
  
Her eyes were still opened wide with shock. She looked back at him with so much fear. When she saw his former-self resurface, she suddenly remembered the monstrous things he did to her when she was Lady Deathstrike. She remembered the pain of every wound, the hunger she could not satisfy, the feel of her naked body against the cold metal table, the warmth of his breath at the back of her neck, and the other horrifying things she dared not think of anymore.  
  
The professor released Logan from his mental paralysis, and he quickly stood between Yuriko and Stryker. He gritted his teeth as he angrily looked into Stryker's eyes. He could see the innocence in them again. He looked nothing like the man who just tried to kill the professor a while ago. Logan couldn't understand how Stryker could have changed from one person to another in just a blink of an eye.  
  
Stryker tried to move past him, but he placed his hand on Stryker's chest and pushed him away.  
  
"Stay away from her." He said firmly. "You've already done enough." He felt his jaw tightening as he looked at him. If Charles hadn't held him back, he knew he would have already driven his claws into Stryker's flesh. And he wouldn't have regretted it either.  
  
Stryker almost fell back against the table from the force of Logan's push. He straightened himself and looked back at him. "I just want to talk to her." He said calmly.  
  
Logan clenched his fists. "But I don't think she wants to talk to you, bub." He said firmly. He looked at Yuriko and their eyes met. He was glad to see that the fear in her eyes was now gone. She was now free from whatever nightmare she just had.  
  
The professor moved towards Logan. "Now would probably be a good time to give our newest member a trip around the school. I believe Ms. Oyama would really appreciate that." He said with a smile as he looked at Yuriko.  
  
Yuriko smiled back at the professor. "Yes. I would really love that, professor."  
  
She just wanted to forget everything that happened a couple of minutes ago. She was finally going to spend some time alone with Logan, and the thought of it made her heart soar. She wanted to know him better. She wanted to talk to him as a friend, not just as a teammate. Perhaps he could help her make the right decision. After all, he was once a part of her life  
  
She stood up and looked at Logan. "How about you, Logan? Is that okay with you too?" She asked with a smile. "After all, I don't want to get in the way of your daily routines." Her voice had a teasing tone to it.  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow and smiled back at her. "Unlike the others, I don't have daily routines. Ask Charles...He often things I'm impulsive and juvenile." He said in a joking way. "I always tend to do what I want to do. And as for now, what I want to do is act as your official tour guide to the school."  
  
Yuriko's smile grew wider as she looked into his eyes. She wanted to touch him again...feel him against her skin. She didn't want to look away from his stare.  
  
He suddenly held her hand and gently pulled her towards the door. "Come on. It's almost dark and I still want to show you the facilities outside the mansion." Logan couldn't believe how he was acting towards Yuriko. He wasn't even the kind of person who held hands. And yet, whenever he was close to her, he felt so at ease.  
  
"Okay." She said with a smile. Logan opened the door and Yuriko took one last look at the professor and Stryker.  
  
Stryker's eyes met Yuriko as she took one last glimpse of him. Then he felt his chest tighten as she disappeared from his sight. The sound of the door closing seemed to echo in his ears. He didn't like how she was now alone with that Logan.  
  
"Now, Mr. Stryker." Said the professor as he looked at him. "Please sit down. We still have a lot of things to talk about."  
  
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	30. Logan and Yuriko

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's chapter 30!!! ...A chapter for Yuriko/Logan fans. LOL ! sees them celebrating .  
  
TOPWITCH = Heheh...I hope my story always brightens your day o! Though some parts of the fanfic really does get a little "dark" and "gritty" at times (like the last chapter where Stryker became psycho. Lol). Hmmm...by the looks of it, I won't lose my inspiration soon !  
  
SKETTY24 = Thanks for your review o! It's actually kinda tough writing Logan in such a situation, because it's his first time to feel this way towards someone. After all, he did have a 'past' with Yuriko....Who knows what happened back then, eh? !  
  
CAPT. O' HAGAN = welcome back o! w00t! you've been gone for a while ! Thanks for the wonderful review! LMAO...is it just me, or do we have a Stryker fan here? Lol! Er, I don't want to give away spoilers...but yeah, there was something going on between Yuriko, Logan and Stryker in the past...dun dun dun!!! You'll just have to wait and see to find out what it is !  
  
GIVEGODTHEGLORY = Heheh...yeah...even Stryker doesn't know who he is and what he is O.O! Talk about uber identity crisis O.O!  
  
GREENFREAK = GREAT to know you're loving the story o!!!  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = CHAPTER 30: Logan and Yuriko  
  
Logan held Yuriko's hand as they walked down the corridors of the mansion. He knew it wasn't in his nature to do such a thing, but no matter how much he tried to pull away from her, he couldn't. The longer he held her, the more he wanted to touch her. Why did her presence do this to him? He didn't even feel that way towards Jean, or Rogue, or even Ororo...and they were all his close friends. He only knew Yuriko for a couple of hours and yet he couldn't stand being away from her. What was he feeling? And why Yuriko? None of it made any sense.  
  
Yuriko smiled as she felt Logan's fingers pressing against her hand. He felt so strong, so comforting. He held her hand as if he didn't want her to slip away. Like he was afraid to let her go. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw him walking by her side. She liked how he was so close to her.  
  
"So, Logan." She said, breaking the silence. "What are you going to show me first?" She asked curiously. She couldn't wait to see more of the mansion. It was her home now and she wanted to know more about it.  
  
"Well, since it's almost getting dark, I'm going to show you the facilities surrounding the mansion first." He said as he smiled at her. "The basketball court, the swimming pool, the gardens. After all, it looks like you weren't able to go out that much when you were under the drug. I bet Stryker always had you cooped up in that underground base of his." There was anger in his voice at the mention of Stryker's name.  
  
Yuriko sighed and looked away from him. She knew Logan was right. She never really saw much of the outside world. Whenever the previous Stryker had no need of her, he personally locked her up in her own little room in the Alkali Lake base, until he needed her again. That caused her to lose passion for the world, as much as she had once lost her passion for food.  
  
They walked pass the living room and Rogue caught sight of them. She and Bobby were on the couch, playing some kind of board game.  
  
"Logan!!!" She shouted.  
  
Logan and Yuriko stopped in their tracks and looked at the living room. Logan saw Rogue waving her hands in the air.  
  
"Hey! You two! Come here and join us!" She shouted again.  
  
Logan looked at Yuriko and smiled. He pulled him with her to the living room. "By the way, this is one of the mansion's living rooms." He said as they walked towards the couch where Rogue and Bobby were sitting. Then he motioned his hand towards the two youngsters. "And these two, are its regular inhabitants." He snickered.  
  
Bobby arched an eyebrow and smiled. "So, Logan's giving you a personal trip around the mansion, huh?" He asked with a sly tone in his voice. "If I were you, I'd be careful. He might ask for 'something' in return." He said in a teasing way.  
  
Logan suddenly pointed a finger at Bobby. "You. Shut up." He said imposingly.  
  
Rogue looked at Yuriko and they both laughed. "Please excuse my boyfriend." Rogue said. She looked at Bobby and playfully pushed him. "He doesn't know what he's saying sometimes." She said, smiling at him.  
  
Bobby raised his hands and looked back at Rogue. "What do you mean I don't know what I'm saying? I was just kidding, okay?!" Then he looked at Logan. "You do know I was kidding, right?"  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow and smirked at him. "I dunno." Then he looked at Yuriko. "You think he was kidding?" He asked.  
  
"Oh come on!" Shouted Bobby as he threw his hands in the air. He couldn't believe what Logan was doing. He was making him look like a fool in front of their newest member. Ever since he became Rogue's boyfriend, Logan had been treating him like a little boy who needed constant disciplining.  
  
"Yuriko, you know I was just kidding." He looked at her with longing eyes.  
  
Yuriko chuckled and looked at Logan. "Yeah, he was just kidding, Logan." She said with a big smile on her lips. She liked how they were conversing with her. They made her feel so welcome, so accepted, as if she had been a part of their family for years.  
  
Bobby laid back on the couch and sighed. "You always have to make things tougher for me, huh?" He asked in a rather pitiful way.  
  
Rogue smiled and placed a hand on his lap "Oh Bobby...." She said, trying to comfort him. She knew he was trying to get some sympathy.  
  
Bobby held Rogue's hand and sat up straight. He looked at Yuriko and then nodded towards Logan. "But then, I do live with Logan, so I'm pretty used to this kind of stuff...especially when he gets too protective about Rogue."  
  
"Hey!" Logan shouted with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"See?" Bobby asked with a cocky grin.  
  
Rogue sighed and placed a finger over Bobby's lips. "Enough, tiger." She laughed and ran her finger down his chin.  
  
She crossed her legs on the couch and looked at Yuriko. "Well, now that our boys have calmed down, maybe we could think of something to do. I dunno...Watch a movie, order some pizza, play a couple of video games?"  
  
"No can do, kid." Logan said as he looked at Rogue. "I really want to tour her around the estate before the sun sets."  
  
Rogue arched an eyebrow. "Hmm. I've never seen you like this with a woman before." She said with an all-knowing smile on her lips. She looked at Yuriko and winked at her. "He likes you."  
  
Yuriko smiled and felt herself blushing. She really hoped none of them noticed. Logan rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's why I don't like hanging around these two when they're together." He said as he looked at Yuriko. "They keep on coming up with all sorts of things that usually get me into trouble."  
  
Rogue reached out and gently squeezed Logan's arm. "Come on, Logan. Loosen up a bit." She said with a smile. "You seem so uptight. Is it because Yuriko's around?"  
  
Logan glared at Rogue, and then he grabbed Yuriko's hand. "That's it. We're getting out of here before they say more things we don't wanna hear."  
  
Yuriko laughed and waved goodbye to Rogue and Bobby as Logan pulled her after him. "I'll catch you guys later!" She said.  
  
"Okay! And you take care of Logan for me!" Shouted Rogue.  
  
"I will!" Shouted Yuriko. Rogue and Bobby soon disappeared from her sight as Logan pulled her out of the living room.  
  
"Kids these days." Logan said with a sigh. "Sometimes they don't know when to talk and when not to talk." He gently held her hand as they walked down the hall towards the main entrance of the mansion.  
  
"Well, I like them." She said, smiling. "I like them a lot." She knew Logan was just humoring himself when he talked of them that way. She knew he cared for them deeply, especially for Rogue. He seemed to have a soft spot for her.  
  
Logan gave out a small laugh, and then he looked at her. "Don't get me wrong. I like 'em too. You can't help but love those guys." He said with gentleness in his eyes. He knew he couldn't deny the fact that he truly cared for them. He loved Rogue, Bobby, and the others more than life itself. They were the only family he ever had and he would do anything to keep them safe from harm. "That's why I continue to be who I am." He said as he looked into the distance.  
  
Yuriko's eyebrows furrowed as she heard Logan's last statement. What was he trying to say?  
  
They reached the main entrance of the mansion and Logan stopped by the front door. He turned towards Yuriko and looked deeply into her eyes. "When I first attacked you and Stryker here, I know you first thought of me as a bloodthirsty mutant who wanted nothing but revenge, that I'm a creature who lives only by the edge of his claws. Until now you probably still think of me as such, but that is who I am, Yuriko. And being who I am is the only way I can protect the people that I care for. It is the monster in me who protects them from harm."  
  
Yuriko stared back into his eyes and saw the vulnerability in them. She knew what he was going through. Like Logan, she also felt trapped in a body that was made to take others' lives. No matter how much they want to stop killing, they can't --- they were brought into this world to become weapons, soldiers, fighters, killers. But that didn't mean they had to be what they were meant to become. They all had choices, and Logan had made his when he joined the X-Men.  
  
She slowly reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand. She could feel his soft, firm skin against her fingers, and his prickly facial hair brushing against her palm.  
  
"It's all right, Logan." She said softly. "You are not an animal. You were never an animal. You fight because you want to protect your family. You want to make sure that none of them get hurt, because you care for them."  
  
She moved her hand down his arm, and lifted his hand towards her. She looked at his hand, and gently traced the contours of his knuckles and fingers. "It is these hands and these claws that have saved them countless of times. And there is no greater glory than to fight for the people you love. You are lucky to have fought for your beliefs. That was a luxury I never had." She looked up at him and their eyes met.  
  
Logan couldn't help but stare deeply into her eyes. He wanted to touch her face and feel her against him. She was now one of the people he wanted to protect. He didn't know why, but something in him longed to protect her above all else. It was like a natural feeling, an instinct. He was going to make sure that she never suffers again. He knew he owed her that. He wasn't able to save her before, but he was going to save her now.  
  
"You and me, we both started out as things we didn't choose to become. But now we are who we want to be. You know we'll both keep on fighting, but we will be fighting to protect those who need us the most." He said as he held her hand.  
  
Yuriko's eyes continued to stare into his. "And I am glad to know that this time, I will be fighting by your side, Logan. And I would willingly die by your side if need be."  
  
"Don't talk of death, Yuriko, for death doesn't come easy for the likes us." He opened the front door and looked at her. "There is still so much life for us to live." He smiled and gently pulled her out of the mansion with him.  
  
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	31. Past meets present

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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OMG, I'm gonna get butchered for this chapter!!! I know I am!!! LMAO!!! I think I made Logan too 'sweet' in one of the scenes in this chapter (and thankfully, that scene doesn't last long :P). lol. Oh well, I hope you still like this anyway ! And don't worry...this is probably the last time Logan's going to have a "sweet" moment with Yuriko. After all, I really want to keep him in-character in the majority of the story :D!  
  
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CHAPTER 31: Past meets present  
  
Yuriko's eyes wandered at the luscious view that surrounded the mansion. It was definitely more than just a school. It was also paradise, a haven and a home for mutants like her. She couldn't believe Stryker almost destroyed it. Why would someone want to destroy something as perfect as this?  
  
"Come on...I'll show you the basketball court first." Logan said as he looked at her. He quickened his pace and pulled her after him.  
  
"Okay." She said with a smile. She followed Logan down the steps of the mansion and across its grassy lawn. She had no difficulty catching up with Logan's fast strides. After all, she was somewhat faster and more agile than him.  
  
Her eyes soon caught sight of the infamous basketball court. Logan slowed his pace and led her to the center of it. His hand continued to hold hers.  
  
Yuriko arched an eyebrow and looked around. "So this is the infamous basketball court, huh?" She asked with an all-knowing smile.  
  
"What do you mean 'infamous'?" Logan asked curiously.  
  
She looked at the ground and tapped it with her foot, and then she looked up at Logan again. "This is where your jet comes out, doesn't it?"  
  
"Well well well, looks like someone did their homework." He said with his eyebrow tilted up.  
  
"No thanks to Stryker." She said hesitantly.  
  
She took Logan's other hand and looked into his eyes. "So...what else is there to see around here?" She asked. "I sure do hope you're not going to challenge me to a game of basketball because I definitely have no idea how to play it."  
  
Logan looked up and saw the dimming sky above him. The clear sky looked like a mixture between blue and red as the sun slowly prepared for its descent to the west.  
  
He looked at Yuriko and gently squeezed her hands.  
  
"What?" Yuriko asked with her eyebrows furrowed.  
  
He smiled and pulled her with him towards one of the basketball posts.  
  
"Follow me." He said as he ran towards the post. He seemed excited about something.  
  
He suddenly let go of her hand and jumped up towards the rink. He grabbed on to the rink and easily hoisted himself up and sat atop the post's backboard.  
  
Yuriko walked to the post and looked up at Logan. "Aren't we supposed to do that?" She shouted. He was now fifteen feet from the ground.  
  
"Don't worry about it." He shouted back. "They're used to me doing this kind of stuff all the time. Now jump up here before you miss it." He leaned down and extended his hand to her.  
  
She wasn't really sure what he wanted her to see, but she might as well follow him anyway. After all, she trusted him.  
  
She walked a couple of paces away from the post, and then looked at where Logan was sitting. She hadn't gauged how high she could really jump, but if Logan could jump that high, then so could she. She breathed in deeply and ran towards the post. Whatever he was going to show her better be worth it. She jumped towards the backboard and grabbed Logan's hand.  
  
"Easy does it." Said Logan as he pulled her up the backboard to sit by his side.  
  
Yuriko held onto the backboard as she made herself comfortable. Her eyes opened wide with awe as she looked around her. The view was more than amazing. She could feel the wind blowing against her face as she gazed upon the beauty of the professor's estate.  
  
Nothing could definitely compare to what she was seeing right now...Not even the rolling mountains of the British Columbia. Everything looked so alive and at peace. The sun touched everything with its fading light. The grounds were covered with various floras, and they kept on rolling on into the distance. She could also see the mansion from where they were sitting and she wondered at its beautiful architecture.  
  
Logan looked at her and saw the awe in her eyes and the smile on her lips. Loose strands of her hair ran across her face as the wind blew against them. The dimming light of the sun touched her cheek and illuminated the contours of her face. He had never seen anyone look so beautiful and so happy.  
  
The wind suddenly blew harder and she fell back against Logan. "Be careful. It can get pretty windy up here." He said as he gently held her in place.  
  
"I'm starting to realize that." She said with a smile. Then her eyes wandered at the view again. "This is really beautiful." She said. "Does Charles own all of this?"  
  
Logan smiled. "You can say that. He owns everything that your eyes can see. Even I don't know how he was able to come up with all of this, but I'm glad that he did. Mutants like us also need a little piece of earth to call home."  
  
She looked at him and smiled. "And I'm glad that we both found our way here. I would never want to be anywhere else."  
  
"And there is something else that this place has to offer." He said as he stared into her eyes. "Look over there." He pointed towards the horizon.  
  
Yuriko looked at the horizon and saw the sun slowly descending behind the clouds. It was her first time to see a sunset, and the view was beautiful enough to take her breath away. The sky was bathed in a warm, orange glow as the wind continued to blow against her face.  
  
The sunset looked like the beginning and the end...the end of another cycle, the end of another day, but a beautiful end nonetheless. If her time on this earth were done, she would want it to end that way...just like the sunset. She wanted to be the sun, setting behind the clouds, leaving a warm orange glow on the world as she fades away.  
  
Yuriko looked at Logan and their eyes met, the wind gently blowing against them. None of them even made an attempt to look away. It was as if they were locked in an unspoken conversation as the sun slowly set behind them. Logan slowly reached out and ran his fingers down her cheeks.  
  
"Yuriko...." He whispered.  
  
"Yes, Logan?" She asked.  
  
Logan slowly moved his face close to hers. He didn't know why he was doing what he was doing, but it felt so right. He couldn't understand why, but he wanted to feel her so close to him. Why was he doing this? Was it because he felt something for her? Was it...love? But how could he love her? He barely even knew her.  
  
Yuriko looked at him as he moved closer to her. She didn't know what to do. She liked being in his company and she missed him whenever they were apart, but did she really care for him? Did she love him? Perhaps she did, a long time ago. She could still remember how Logan looked at her in her vision. There was love in his eyes. But she couldn't base her current feelings on what happened between them in the past.  
  
And yet, she wanted to surrender...and feel that love again.  
  
She closed her eyes and waited for his lips to touch hers. She felt his hot breath against her and braced herself for the kiss that had been long overdue. She could almost feel his lips brushing against hers...  
  
Then a name entered her mind. "James..." She whispered.  
  
Logan's eyes suddenly opened wide. He pulled away from Yuriko and fell backwards, causing him to plunge head first on the ground.  
  
"Oh my god! Logan!" She shouted as she saw him fall on the concrete ground. She quickly jumped off the backboard and went to his side.  
  
Logan groaned in agony as he pushed himself off the floor. He placed his hands on his head and felt the throbbing pain in his adamantium skull. He could barely stand up straight. The pain in his back and in his neck was killing him. After all, he just fell from a fifteen feet tall structure and landed head first into solid ground. He moved his head from side to side and felt his neck cracking.  
  
"Logan, are you all right?!" She asked worriedly. She looked at his face and checked it for any signs of injuries. She was relieved to see that he didn't incur any.  
  
He winced in pain as he continued to move his head and shoulders. At times like this, he was thankful for his adamantium-covered skeleton and his superior healing abilities. Any other man would have died from that fall.  
  
"Yeah...I'm fine." He groaned as he looked at her.  
  
He remembered her saying a name. He knew it was the reason why he fell off the backboard. There was something about it that snapped an invisible string in his mind. He couldn't even remember the name anymore, but he could still feel its impact on him.  
  
Hearing it was like seeing a ghost. When it flew out of Yuriko's lips, it hit him fast and hard. It gave him a split-second rush of emotions that he couldn't understand. And the name sounded so disturbingly familiar. It was as if he had heard it countless of times before. Whose name was it?  
  
"What happened?!" Yuriko asked with concern in her voice. "We were...Well, we were watching the sunset, and...and then I closed my eyes, then the next thing I knew, you fell off the backboard. I didn't even see it coming. What happened, Logan?!"  
  
"You mentioned a name." He said firmly. "I believe it was the name of a man."  
  
"What?" She asked with her eyebrows furrowed. She had no idea what he was talking about. "I don't remember saying anything." She said as she looked back at him. When Logan was about to kiss her, she just closed her eyes and waited for his lips to touch hers. That was all she did. She didn't even say a word.  
  
Logan ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at her and saw the truth in her eyes. If she did say a name, then she probably didn't even know that she did. Either that, or she really couldn't remember it.  
  
"Do you remember the name?" She asked out of curiosity. If Logan did hear her say something, then she might as well know what it was.  
  
"No. I can't. I heard it so fast...it was like a flash of lightning." His eyes wandered to the ground. He tried to remember it, but he couldn't. Then he looked at her again "I'm sorry if I asked you about it. I probably just heard it in my head."  
  
Yuriko smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's really okay, Logan. You don't need to be sorry about anything." She said.  
  
But then, deep inside, something still bothered her. What if she really did say someone's name, but just couldn't remember saying it? She remembered those times when Stryker briefly reverted to his former self and did things that he couldn't remember later on...just like what happened in the study a while ago.  
  
"Look...Let's just forget about this, okay?" Logan asked as he looked at Yuriko. He smiled and held her hand. "It's just a name after all. It could even be a name of a dog for all I care." He laughed and gently pulled her after him.  
  
"Come on. I'll show you the swimming pool before we head back inside." He said with a smile.  
  
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	32. Still waters run deep

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Whew! Lol! It's great to know that you guys loved the previous chapter ! I was really worried that I made the Logan/Yuriko/sunset scene too "mushy". Lol! Anywayz, this chapter is more of Logan and Yuriko again o! Heheh...I really hope the L/Y fans out there are enjoying this !  
  
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CHAPTER 32: Still waters run deep  
  
Logan continued to hold Yuriko's hand as they walked through the grassy field that surrounded the school. Everything felt so empty and quiet now that most of the students had been sent home. Once the sun went down, Ororo usually went outside to gather all the children back into the mansion. But now, it was just the two of them.  
  
He even remembered that one time when Ororo asked him to track down a nocturnal student who refused to go inside. Logan gave out a small laugh as he remembered those moments. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed having those little buggers around.  
  
Yuriko heard Logan's laughter and looked at him. She saw the genuine smile in his lips and the happiness in his eyes. She loved seeing him like that. He looked so carefree, so happy, as if nothing was wrong with the world. Despite his tough and insensitive exterior, she knew he was still so human inside. He could still laugh and cry and remember memories both bitter and sweet.  
  
Logan noticed Yuriko staring at him and he quickly put on a serious expression on his face. He cleared his throat and looked away. He hoped she didn't think he was crazy for suddenly laughing like that for no apparent reason. He could've told her why he laughed, but he didn't want to ramble on like an old timer talking about the 'good old days'.  
  
"So uh, we actually have to make our way around the mansion. The swimming pool is located in the 'backyard'." He said abruptly as he walked by her side. He had to say something.  
  
Yuriko gave Logan's hand a gentle squeeze. "I like seeing your smile." She said softly. She looked up at the star-filled sky and was in awe at its beauty. The moon and stars shone upon them like glittering shards of light in a sea of darkness.  
  
It was only now that she could truly appreciate the beauty of it all. When she was Lady Deathstrike, she never had the opportunity to stay outside and look at the night sky. The only thing she saw when the sun went down was the walls and the ceiling of her empty cell. But now that she was free, she could look up at the stars for as long as she wanted and gaze upon their luminous beauty.  
  
She couldn't help but smile. Everything felt like a dream. Everything was now so perfect, that sometimes she was scared she'd wake up and find herself back in her own little cell in the underground base. But Logan's touch was proof that everything wasn't a dream...and that he wasn't going to let her go.  
  
Logan looked at Yuriko and saw her smiling as she stared up at the stars. "I like seeing your smile too." He said.  
  
Yuriko turned towards him and looked deeply into his eyes. "You know what?" She asked softly. "I never smiled, even once, in those ten years that I was with William. I didn't even know what happiness was or what it felt like. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life like that...living a life that had no hint of joy or love or acceptance. I just wanted to die and fade away." Her voice was soft and mellow. Thinking of her past as Lady Deathstrike still brought her so much pain.  
  
She looked up at the sky, and then she smiled back at him. "But now I finally know what happiness feels like...to smile and laugh and cry. Now I know what it's like to live and appreciate the simplest, most beautiful things in life. Back when I was Lady Deathstrike, I would have done anything to free myself from this world. But now I want it to keep on going. I want to keep on living."  
  
Then the smile on her lips faded. "But I'm still so scared, Logan. I'm so scared that someday, someone might take this life away from me. And I don't want any of this to end. I don't want to go back to the way things were."  
  
Logan could see the scared look in her eyes and it pained him to see her like this. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Yuriko. He placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up so that her eyes would meet his.  
  
"If someone tries to take your life away from you again, he'll have to go through me first." He said firmly. "I promise you that." He smiled and gently took her hand.  
  
"Thank you." Yuriko said softly. She knew he would keep his promise.  
  
They continued their way around the mansion and soon found themselves in the swimming pool area. Yuriko walked to the side of the pool and marveled at its size. The swimming pool's lights illuminated its waters, giving it a clear, soft glow. She could even see the bottom of the pool with how clear and calm the water was.  
  
"Pretty big, huh?" Logan asked as he stood beside Yuriko.  
  
"Yeah. It is." She said with a smile. Her eyes continued to wander at the pool and its surroundings. She liked how it was surrounded by nature. She could almost imagine herself swimming under the stars.  
  
"I bet most of the kids love swimming here. Though I can imagine having some problems with those who have water-related abilities. I bet they love playing around with the pool water." She said as she raised her eyebrows.  
  
Logan groaned and rolled his eyes. "Aaah. Please don't remind me. There was that one time Bobby froze the water and turned it into one big block of ice. Man, that pissed everyone off. Took us about an hour to turn it back into its liquid form."  
  
He couldn't help but smile as he remembered that incident. The students truly were the life of the school. John even helped them thaw Bobby's 'masterpiece'. It was really unfortunate that Pryo decided to leave with Magneto. The school had lost another student who could have been a vital member of the team. But that was John's choice, and the school respected that. Professor Xavier doesn't force his students to do what they didn't want to do and to believe in what they didn't want to believe in.  
  
Yuriko looked at Logan and saw him deep in thought. "Logan?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah?" He looked at her and noticed the suspicious look on her face. "What?"  
  
"I'm just wondering..." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the swimming pool. "If the jet comes out of the basketball court, then what comes out of the swimming pool? Your cars?" She asked in a joking way.  
  
Logan gave out a small laugh. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but the swimming pool is just a swimming pool. As any normal household, our cars come out of the garage."  
  
"Well you can't blame me for asking." She said with a smile. "After all, this mansion is more than what it seems."  
  
He looked at her and smiled. "Well, since you're going to live here from now on, you'll have enough time to see everything that it has to offer. And trust me, you haven't even seen half of it yet."  
  
Logan sat down on the edge of the pool and Yuriko sat down beside him. The night seemed so calm and quiet. The stars continued to glitter in the sky and the crescent moon hovered above them like a pale sun. The light that emanated from the pool gave out a dim glow that added to the peaceful atmosphere.  
  
He exhaled and then looked at Yuriko. "So...have you made a decision already? About your past?" He asked with a serious tone in his voice.  
  
Yuriko was startled when she heard Logan's question. She had almost forgotten about her decision. It didn't even enter her mind until now. It was as if she didn't even give it that much importance anymore. Did that mean that she was now willing to let go of the past she had never known?  
  
She clasped her hands together as her eyes looked at the clear water. She wished her life could just be like that water. She wished she could see the bottom of who she really was. But the only way to do that...was to unearth the past that she feared.  
  
She looked at Logan, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I...I still don't know, Logan. A part of me is telling me to let it all go, but a bigger part of me is telling me to hold on to it. I really don't know what to do."  
  
Logan gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is it really that important, Yuriko? Is the past really that important to you? You have a new life now. Forget about it and move on. The past isn't always pleasant. With what Stryker had told me about mine, I know that for a fact. It might just end up hurting you in the end. And if it does, then you will only regret remembering it." He looked deeply into her eyes. He wanted her to realize the consequences of remembering her past. He didn't want to see her get hurt anymore.  
  
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	33. More than just a vision

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOPWITCH !!! Hope you had a great day !!!!  
  
As for everyone who's wondering what happened between the three of them, don't worry...all will be revealed...in the end ! (and this chapter will reveal a little bit more about it too !)  
  
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CHAPTER 33: More than just a vision  
  
Yuriko stared back into Logan's eyes. "How about you, Logan? Isn't there a part of you that longs to remember the past you had left behind? Don't you have a voice inside your head asking about the life you had before you became Wolverine? What about the people you've met? What about the experiences you had? The places that you've been to and the things you have seen? Are you just going to let them fade away like a childhood dream? Haven't you ever thought of that?"  
  
He clenched his teeth and looked up at the sky. What she had just said created a stir in his emotions. Why would he even want to remember his past? It was now gone. No one can bring it back. It would make no difference in his life. What's done is done.  
  
But deep inside he knew why he really didn't want to discover his past. Because he feared it. He didn't want to know the man he once was. He feared to see the man whom Stryker had referred to as an animal. He feared the past because he feared himself.  
  
"Sometimes..." Yuriko said... "I see images of the past in my mind." She reached out and gently ran her fingers on the surface of the water. She watched the water ripple as the tips of her fingers brushed against it.  
  
"And whenever I see them, they feel so real. My visions happen so fast, and yet I can still remember them right down to the last detail. At first I thought they were just figments of my imagination, but the more I think about them, the more I realize that they really did happen." She looked at Logan and stared into his eyes. "I know they did happen, Logan. I know that in the past, you and me, we..."  
  
Yuriko's eyes suddenly opened wide as she realized what she was about to say. She didn't want to tell him about her visions yet. Not yet. Not now. She didn't want to tell him that he was once a part of her life and that they might have been lovers before.  
  
It still wasn't the right time. If she told him now, it would just make things more complicated. It might make him drift away from her. She knew how Logan felt about his past, and she didn't want to force her past upon him. The right time would come for such things. Perhaps someday, the past would reveal itself.  
  
Logan's eyebrows furrowed. "You and me...what?" He asked curiously.  
  
She quickly looked away from Logan and focused her eyes on the clear waters of the swimming pool. "Nothing." She said nervously.  
  
From the corner of her eye, she could see Logan still looking at her, as if he was still waiting for a valid answer. Did he know that she was keeping something from him?  
  
"Well, what I was actually about to say was that...you and me probably went through the same weapon x project." She said as she stared into his eyes. She didn't want to look like she was hiding something from him. "That's probably why our abilities are so identical." She didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth either.  
  
"Oh." Logan said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He didn't know why, but he somehow expected her to say something else...something else about him and her.  
  
"So...what did you see in your visions?" He asked curiously. He couldn't understand why her past intrigued him so much. "I had my own visions too," He added. "But they only went as far as the weapon x project itself. I have seen nothing of my past before I became Wolverine. Your visions on the other hand, seem to go further, even before you underwent the weapon x project."  
  
She looked at him and nodded her head. "Yes. You're right." She said softly. "In my visions, I saw who I was before I became Lady Deathstrike. That's probably why I want my past back. I want to know about the girl who used to be me. Whether I like it or not, I was that girl, Logan. Whether I like it or not, she's still inside me, bearing the memories of the past I had long forgotten."  
  
"You seem to like your visions." He said as he looked at her. "I can see it in your eyes. You look so happy whenever you talk about your past. Now I know why you want to remember it all. You want your old life back....but Yuriko, you can't ---"  
  
"I know, Logan. I can't bring the past back." Yuriko sighed and looked up at the stars. "My visions are like dead stars. They continue to shine in my mind, but they're already long gone...already dead."  
  
Then she looked at him. "But maybe...just maybe, there are some things in the past that we can still bring back if we want to. It may not be the same, but it's still possible."  
  
Logan looked away from her. He didn't want any of his past back. "You must have lived a happy life then." He said firmly "Unlike me. From what Stryker said, I was a monster, an animal. I didn't want to believe him, but I couldn't deny the truth in his voice. I felt it in my gut. I was probably just like him."  
  
Yuriko reached out and gently moved his face so that he was looking at her. She wanted to see his eyes again. She wanted to stare into them. Logan was wrong for saying that he was once an animal. Because in her vision, he was so human, so loving. She saw him with her own two eyes. And Stryker...Stryker was different too. If only she could tell him about what she saw.  
  
"Not all of my visions were sweet. I've also had visions that made me want to run away and hide. Those visions felt like living nightmares that I couldn't escape from. And until now they still linger in my mind...reminding me of the shadows of my past." She said with fear in her voice.  
  
Then she looked up at the stars again and smiled. "Though there was this once vision...that I wanted to last forever."  
  
"What's that?" Logan asked curiously. She could see the happiness in her eyes.  
  
Yuriko closed her eyes and the smile on her lips grew wider. Perhaps she could tell him about that one vision, but not tell him everything about it. She just wanted to reminisce in its memory again.  
  
She kept her eyes closed as she talked. "In that vision, I was in a room..." She could see it in her mind again, the room, the three of them, and everything in it. She could see it playing in her mind like a silent movie. "And I was with my two best friends." She said with a smile. She couldn't believe what she was saying. The vision didn't say that Logan and Stryker were her good friends. And yet, she felt that they were. "We all looked so happy." She continued.  
  
"The three of us, we were all dressed in format outfits." She said with her eyes still closed. The vision continued played at the back of her mind as she remembered it. Like before, she couldn't hear anything. While their mouths moved, no words were spoken and no sounds were made. "It was ten o'clock in the morning and the sun's rays were shining through the windows. Everything was so bright and so warm." How did she even know the time? The room in her vision didn't have a clock anywhere. "They both looked so handsome." She whispered happily. She could see Logan and Stryker's face as they laughed. She couldn't believe that young man in front of her was Stryker.  
  
"One of them was going to get married that day." She gave out a small laugh. "And I was fixing his tie, because he didn't know how to." Her eyes remained closed. How did she know that Stryker was the one who was going to get married? The vision didn't specifically show that, but she knew. How could she have known that?  
  
"Everything looked so perfect. Then I looked to my side and saw the love of my life. He was sitting on a table, looking at the groom and me. I could see jealousy in his eyes." She laughed as she remembered the look on Logan's face.  
  
"Then he got off the table...then...then..." She gave out another small laugh. "He went up to the groom and then smacked him on the back of the head. We all laughed, because we were used to him doing stuff like that all the time." How did she even know that Logan did stuff like that all the time?  
  
Most of the things she was remembering seemed to have come from her own mind, not just from the vision itself. "Then he went up to me..." She continued. "...and he ran his fingers down my cheek." She still had her eyes closed. She moved her hand towards her face, and touched her cheek the way Logan had touched it in her vision. "Then after that....after that, he walked away and....and...."  
  
Yuriko suddenly opened her eyes and saw herself back in the swimming pool area. She could feel her heart beating so fast as raspy breaths escaped from her lips. Her eyes stared into the distance. She felt as if she just came back from a dream, from another time, from another place.  
  
"Yuriko?" Logan asked.  
  
She turned to look at him and saw him staring at her. She loved seeing his face again. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and feel his touch. When he walked away in the vision, she thought she was never going to see him again. And now, there he was, the love of her life, sitting beside her by the pool.  
  
"What happened next? What happened after he walked away?" He asked curiously. He wanted to know what happened afterwards. When Yuriko was narrating the vision to him, he could almost see it playing in his own mind. It was as if he'd seen that exact same vision before. Everything sounded so familiar...but why? Why did Yuriko's vision made him feel that way?  
  
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	34. A moment of peace

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here it is o --- the next chapter!!! Um, okaaay...this chapter (and probably the next one) will focus more on Stryker and the other mutants in the mansion (I'm through with half of chapter 35 and all I can say is that Rogue and Bobby fans are gonna luv it o! booyah!). anywayz, I still hope you enjoy this one ! Thank you so much for your reviews :D! be seeing you guys around !  
  
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Chapter 34: A moment of peace  
  
Stryker sat on a bed in one of the mansion's operating rooms as he waited for Ororo's return. She had just finished stitching up the wound on his forehead and had left the room to get more bandages. She asked him to stay and wait for her, so he had no choice but to sit and wait. He didn't want to walk around the mansion with his fresh stitches exposed anyway.  
  
After his long talk with the professor, Charles had led him to the medical facility in the mansion's sub-basement where they met up with Ororo. She took him to an operating room and gave expert medical treatment to the wounds he had incurred the day before.  
  
She treated the puncture wounds on his arm first, and then moved on to treat the deep, long wound that ran from his forehead to his right temple.  
  
He looked at the clock and sighed as each second passed by. He couldn't wait to get out of that room. It had been hours since Logan took Yuriko with him and he didn't like the fact that those two had been together all this time. He hated it. He clenched his jaw and tightly gripped the side of the bed as he thought of Yuriko and Logan together.  
  
He could still remember the way she looked at Logan. She looked so happy whenever she was with him. All of her hurts and pains seemed to disappear whenever she was in his company. But how could she like someone so hateful and barbaric? Didn't she see what Logan just did to him? The man was like an animal, and yet Yuriko had somehow fallen for him.  
  
Stryker sighed and looked at the floor. Why did he care anyway? In fact, he should even be happy that Yuriko was now gone. Ever since she found him by the lake, she had done nothing but hurt him and ridicule him. She had never shown him a hint of compassion or an ounce of pity. She wanted nothing but his suffering. And yet...and yet he missed her. He missed seeing her face and hearing her voice. He missed looking into her deep, black eyes even if they looked at him with so much resentment.  
  
He closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side as he tried to take Yuriko's image away from his mind. Why did he even feel that way towards her? Was it because she was the only one he had? Because she was the only one who truly knew him? No...it was more than that. There was something more.  
  
He suddenly winced in pain as he felt his stitches aching. He was about to touch the aching part of his forehead, when Ororo entered the room. She was holding onto a small container where the bandages were kept.  
  
"Don't touch it." She said firmly when she saw Stryker's hand close to his face. "If you irritate it, it will leave a nasty scar."  
  
Stryker looked at her and slowly moved his hand down to his side. "Thanks for the warning." He said softly. Despite the fact he was once an enemy of their team, she still attended to his wounds with care. She didn't talk to him that much, but she always treated him with kindness and respect. Stryker couldn't believe that he was almost responsible for her death. Why would he want to kill someone like her?  
  
She walked up to Stryker and placed the container right next to him on the bed.  
  
"How are you feeling?" She asked with a hint of care in her voice.  
  
Ororo knew what Stryker had done in his past. She knew that he almost killed the entire world's mutant population and that he conducted torturous experiments on the mutants he had captured. She had seen it all in the files they retrieved from his underground base, and most of them sent chills up her spine. How could a man do such horrible things?  
  
And yet, she couldn't help but feel an ounce of compassion for the man who was seated in front of her. He looked nothing like the Stryker who was responsible for Jean's death. He seemed so lost and alone, so tired and weary.  
  
He somehow reminded her of the mutated Senator Kelly who took refuge and died in the mansion. Like Stryker, Kelly went to the mansion because they were the only ones who could help him. And ironically, they were also the ones he wanted to kill before. The world definitely had its own twisted way of dealing with people like Kelly and Stryker.  
  
He looked at her and a humble smile formed on his lips. "I guess I'm okay. Well, the wounds still hurt a bit, especially this one," He pointed at the stitches on his forehead. "But that's probably natural."  
  
She opened the container and took out a bandage, big enough to cover Stryker's stitches. "Don't worry. Once I cover it up, it's going to be fine." She said with a smile.  
  
She took a roll of medical tape from the container and cut small strips of it. Then she gently held the bandage over Stryker's forehead, and slowly started to cover it with strips of tape to hold it in place.  
  
"Thank you, by the way...for treating my injuries." He said as she dressed his stitches. "I know I don't deserve any of this, but..." His eyes wandered to the floor. "I'm grateful for everything you and the professor have done...for me."  
  
"The mansion is always open to those who seek its refuge." She said with a smile. "It doesn't matter if you're a friend or a foe, a human or a fellow mutant." She placed the last piece of tape over the bandage. "We will always be there for those who need our help."  
  
She stepped away from him and took one last look at his forehead. "There. All done."  
  
Stryker carefully stood up and slowly flexed his injured arm. The pain in his puncture wounds were now gone. As for the laceration on his forehead, it didn't ache that much anymore. Ororo definitely did a good job on treating his injuries.  
  
He looked at her and smiled. "Thank you again, Ororo." He hoped the other mutants were just like her. She didn't seem to care about the man he once was. She treated him as a new man, without any concern for his dark past.  
  
Ororo smiled back at him. "Remember to keep your wounds dry. And don't involve yourself in strenuous physical activities." She said firmly. "We'll take the bandages off a week from now once your wounds have completely healed."  
  
Stryker sighed and looked away. He wasn't even sure if he'll still be in the school one week from now. Charles told him that he might regain his memories in a matter of days, even hours. And he knew that once he remembered his past, he would leave the mansion and go back to being the man he once was. Then he would try to destroy Charles and Kurt and Ororo and the others all over again.  
  
She noticed the distant look on Stryker's eyes. "Mr. Stryker?" She asked with her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you all right?"  
  
He snapped out of his trance and then looked at her. "Yes...yes, I'm fine." He forced a smile upon his lips. "I'm fine. I was just...thinking about something." He didn't want to go back to the way things were. He was scared to revert to his former self.  
  
Ororo saw the fear behind his smile. Deep inside, she knew what was bothering him. When she went out of the room to get his bandages, she met with the professor and he informed her of Stryker's condition. Unlike Logan's amnesia, Stryker's memory loss was temporary, and that it would last only for a few more days.  
  
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, William. We will always remember you as you are now."  
  
He smiled and looked into her eyes. "Thank you. And perhaps someday in the future, you could remind me of the person you remembered." He said softly.  
  
He straightened his suit and sighed. "Anyway, I better get going. Perhaps I'll talk with you again, Ms. Munroe." He looked around him, and then he smiled at her. "And I do hope it's in a different setting next time." He said with a joking tone in his voice.  
  
"And I would love to talk with you again, Mr. Stryker." She said with a smile. "Please do take care of yourself."  
  
He nodded, and then made his way towards the door. Then he stopped, and turned around to look at her. "By the way, do you know where Yuriko is?" He asked curiously.  
  
"I believe she's with Logan. I heard Rogue and Bobby talking about them a while ago." She said.  
  
Stryker clenched his fists. /"So, they are together."/ He thought to himself.  
  
"Thanks for the information." He smiled at her, and left the operating room.  
  
He walked down the halls of the sub-basement and made his way to the elevator. He still couldn't believe how huge and complex the mansion was from the inside. The sub-basement alone had countless of halls that led to different facilities.  
  
He even remembered seeing a corridor that led to an indoor swimming pool, and another one that led to a gymnasium. He even saw a terminal for some kind of transport vehicle. That was definitely no ordinary school. But then, its inhabitants and students weren't ordinary either.  
  
Could that have been the reason why he wanted to destroy them in the past? Because they were different? Because they weren't like him?  
  
He reached the entrance to the elevator and pushed the button on the wall right next to it. The elevator opened and he stepped inside. He pushed the button for the first floor and the elevator started to ascend to higher grounds.  
  
He looked at the buttons again and saw one that indicated the mansion's sub- basement level 2. He didn't know why, but something about that level intrigued him. Why did he have the feeling that he had been to that level before?  
  
The elevator stopped on the first floor and he shook his head from side to side. He didn't want to think about his past anymore. He just wanted to cherish his current innocence for as long as he could. Because once his memories come back, he knew he would become the man he once was. And if that happens, even he, wouldn't be able to stop himself.  
  
He stepped off the elevator and walked down the dark hallway. He didn't even realize that it was already nighttime. Most of the mansion's lights were now off, and the windows were void of any light from the outside, except for the faint light of the moon.  
  
He stopped and looked at the clock on the wall of the corridor. He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the time. He could barely see anything in the dark. He was surprised to see that it was already eight forty five in the evening.  
  
Stryker suddenly looked to his side when he noticed a dim light emanating from an open door at the far end of the hallway. He knew he hadn't gone to that part of the mansion before. He slowly walked towards the room and heard the faint sound of people's voices coming from it. The voices seemed to belong to a man and a woman, but not Logan and Yuriko's.  
  
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	35. Unexpected encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Thanks for the wonderful review, Peets96 !!! As said in the previous chapter, this chapter is for those who want more Bobby and Rogue ! Hope you like it :D!  
  
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Chapter 35: Unexpected encounter  
  
Bobby opened the fridge while Rogue sat on a chair by the kitchen table. "So, what do you want to eat tonight?" He asked as he looked at the wide variety of food in front of him.  
  
Rogue placed her elbows on the table, and clasped her hands together. She looked at Bobby and shrugged. "Ah, anything would do. Maybe a cheese sandwich." Her voice was void of any enthusiasm.  
  
Bobby turned his head and arched an eyebrow. "Whoa. That doesn't seem like you, Rogue. You always ask for peanut butter and jelly. Always. What's up? Looks like something's going on in that head of yours."  
  
Rogue smiled as she looked back at him. "Oh. I dunno. I just can't stop thinking about Logan."  
  
He suddenly had a suspicious look in his face. "Logan?" He asked curiously.  
  
She noticed the look on Bobby's face and quickly explained herself. "No. Well, I mean, yeah, but not in the way that you're thinking. He's like a big brother to me, you know." She said as she glared at him.  
  
She pursed her lips and sighed. "It's just that, there's something different in him. I can't tell what it is, but whenever he looks at Yuriko, he...I dunno.... I've never seen him look at anyone that way before, Bobby. He looks so happy." She looked at her hands and tapped her thumbs against each other.  
  
Bobby raised his eyebrows as he took the jars of peanut butter and jelly from the fridge. "You're just jealous." He said in a joking way. He placed the jars on the table and grabbed the loaf of bread from the kitchen counter.  
  
"I am not, jealous!" She said imposingly. Then she looked at the jars in front of her. "I asked for cheese."  
  
Bobby winced when he realized what he just did. "Oh yeah. Cheese." He was about to grab the jars to return them to the fridge, when Rogue suddenly stopped his hand.  
  
"On second thought," She had an embarrassed look on her face. "I guess I could settle for peanut butter and jelly...as always." She said, smiling.  
  
He rolled his eyes and sighed. Then he looked at her with a big grin on his face. "Sometimes I don't know how I can keep up with you." He said in a joking way. He sat down beside her and looked deeply into her eyes. "But that's probably because I know I can't live without you."  
  
Rogue stared back into his blue eyes. She longed to touch his face and feel his skin against her bare fingers. She could still remember how his soft lips pressed against hers when they kissed in his room. They felt so close, so intimate. She wanted the moment to last forever.  
  
Bobby slowly moved his face closer to hers. He wanted to kiss her again. He didn't care if Rogue's powers were going to hurt him. He just wanted them to be together as lovers were meant to be. After all, it was just one kiss. One kiss wouldn't kill him.  
  
"Bobby no..." Rogue whispered.  
  
She wanted to kiss him too, but she didn't want to hurt him. At times like this, she wished she could hold her powers back...hold them back long enough to return his kiss and touch his face. It pained her to see him longing for something she couldn't give. Whoever thought that a single kiss could be so precious?  
  
Bobby's lips were about to touch hers, when Rogue suddenly saw something from the corner of her eye. There was someone standing on the doorway.  
  
"Excuse me. I really hope I'm not interrupting anything." Stryker said as he stepped into the kitchen.  
  
Bobby quickly pulled away from Rogue and they both stared at him. They remained unmoving as Stryker stood by the doorway. He was the last person they expected to see at that time of the night. They also couldn't believe that the professor had let him walk around in the mansion freely; despite everything he did in his 'last visit'.  
  
"What do you want?" Asked Bobby, his voice filled with contempt. He knew Stryker had lost his memories, but he still didn't trust him. He would never forget what he did to the school and its students.  
  
Stryker remained standing right next to the doorway. He could see the intensity in their eyes as they stared at him. They were looking at him as if he was some kind of criminal, as if he was going to do something hurtful and drastic anytime soon.  
  
"Um..." He looked at the two of them, and then he pointed at Bobby. "You're Bobby, right?" He asked softly. And then he pointed at Rogue. "And you're Rogue. Am I correct?" There was uncertainty in his voice.  
  
"Why? What do you want from us?" Rogue asked firmly.  
  
"Well, um, I would just like to know if you've seen Yuriko and Logan. You see, I just got back from the operating room and Ororo told me that you met them earlier today." He rubbed his hands together. He hoped they knew where Yuriko and Logan were.  
  
Rogue looked at Bobby, then she looked back at Stryker. "Yeah. We did see them a couple of hours ago."  
  
"Do you know where they went? Or...where they are now?" He asked with a hopeful look on his face.  
  
Rogue looked at Bobby, and then she leaned close to him. "Should I tell him?" She asked in a whisper.  
  
"Why is he even looking for Yuriko and Logan?" Bobby whispered back. "I don't think you should tell him, Rogue."  
  
"Then what should I say?" Rogue asked, still whispering.  
  
Bobby glanced at Stryker. "Tell him you don't know where they are." He said in a whisper as he looked at her.  
  
Rogue pulled away from Bobby, then she looked at Stryker. "Sorry...but I don't know where they are. They...probably went outside or something." She said hesitantly.  
  
Bobby glared at her, then Rogue's eyes suddenly widened as she realized what she had just said. Logan and Yuriko did go outside. She just remembered when Logan told them that he was going to show Yuriko the basketball court and the swimming pool.  
  
Bobby leaned close to her. "Great going, Rogue." He whispered.  
  
Stryker smiled and nodded. "Thank you very much for the information, Ms. Rogue."  
  
At least now he knew that Logan and Yuriko were outside the mansion. But the area outside the school was huge. They could be anywhere by now. How would he be able to find them in the dark? It was already nighttime and they still haven't gone back. What were they still doing outside?  
  
The thought of Yuriko and Logan alone in the dark made his blood boil. And he wanted to slap some sense into himself for feeling that way towards the two of them. How could he even feel jealous towards Yuriko? He was supposed to hate her after all the things she had done to him.  
  
He suddenly noticed Rogue and Bobby staring at him. He probably looked like an idiot, standing there, when he was thinking of Yuriko. He looked at them and smiled. "I, uh, better go look for them now. It was...nice meeting the two of you.."  
  
Rogue and Bobby didn't say a word as they looked at him. They just wanted him to go away and leave them alone. It was uncomfortable enough that he was staying in the mansion with them. What more when he was in the same room?  
  
Stryker turned around and was about to step out of the kitchen, when he suddenly felt a grumbling sensation in his stomach. He could also feel his head spinning. He hadn't eaten almost anything for the past two days, and he was starting to feel its effects on him. The last thing he ate was a couple of grapes and that was more than twelve hours ago. He even remembered Yuriko smacking him on the head with the grapes' bowl.  
  
He knew he couldn't go out of the mansion on an empty stomach. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to walk for more than thirty minutes without collapsing in fatigue and hunger. He might as well eat something before he goes out to look for Yuriko. He was now in the kitchen anyway.  
  
Then he remembered seeing the food on the table in front of Bobby and Rogue. He slowly turned around and looked at them.  
  
"What?" Bobby asked angrily. Stryker didn't seem to want to leave them alone. What else did he want?  
  
"Well, I was wondering if I could have some of that." He slowly pointed at the food on the table. "I really haven't eaten much for the past two days."  
  
Bobby tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at Stryker. Then he leaned towards Rogue. "I think he wants to eat with us." He whispered.  
  
"What?!" Rogue whispered back. "You mean, like, sit here? With us?"  
  
Bobby glanced at him again. "Yeah."  
  
Rogue looked at Stryker, then she sighed. "Ask him to sit down." She whispered to Bobby.  
  
"Are you sure?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"Well if the professor says he's harmless, then he is." She said in a whisper. She leaned closer to Bobby. "Come on. Just look at him." Her eyes darted at Stryker. "Does that look threatening to you? Jeez. A cactus looks more dangerous than that guy." She said with her eyebrows raised.  
  
Stryker rubbed his hands together as he looked at Bobby and Rogue. He could see them whispering closely to each other. It was pretty obvious that they were talking about him.  
  
Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed. Then he glared at Rogue. "If you say so. But if I were you, I won't let him anywhere near me." He whispered at her.  
  
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	36. Three's company

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Uber thanks to SKETTY24, PEETS96 AND TOPWITCH for the wonderful reviews o!!! Thank you thank you thank you so much !!!! It's great to know that you like how the story's going ! Well, here's more of it o!  
  
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Chapter 36: Three's company  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair then he looked at Stryker. He looked at Rogue and she nodded at him. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was going to invite a former mutant-hating, torturous and murderous man to dinner. What next? Magneto will step through the mansion's front door and volunteer for humanitarian efforts? The world could never get any crazier than what was happening now.  
  
"Hey William!" He shouted as he looked at Stryker.  
  
Stryker's eyes widened when he heard Bobby call his name. "Yes?" He asked softly. His hands were still clasped together. He hoped it was about the food on the table.  
  
Bobby motioned his hand towards the seat on the opposite side of the table. "Sit there." He said abruptly.  
  
He still didn't feel comfortable at the thought of Stryker dining with them. He couldn't even look at him in the eye. Whenever he saw him, he wanted to make him pay for what he did to the school. If it weren't for Rogue's persuasion, he would have already thrown him out of the kitchen.  
  
Stryker exhaled, then he straightened his suit. He looked at Bobby and Bobby raised his eyebrows at them in a questioning way.  
  
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you hungry? Sit." Bobby said imposingly. Why did Stryker just stand there? He thought he wanted something to eat.  
  
"Okay." Stryker said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.  
  
He found it quite odd that Rogue and Bobby were letting him sit with them. When a while ago, they looked at him with so much anger and hate. He hoped they weren't planning on doing something to him. After all, he just came back from the operating room. The last thing he needed were more mutants who wanted him dead.  
  
He slowly walked towards the chair and sat on it. He placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. He felt so awkward being that close to them, and he knew they did too.  
  
"Are you going to eat or what?" Bobby asked. He still couldn't believe that man sitting in front of him was William Stryker. He didn't even look close to menacing.  
  
Stryker tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at the loaf of bread that was right in front of Rogue. It was the only food on the table that looked delectable to him.  
  
Rogue saw Stryker eyes, and then she slid the loaf of bread closer to him. She didn't want to admit it, but he did seem different. His eyes look so innocent and naive. How could a monstrous man suddenly turn into something like that?  
  
Bobby moved his chair closer to Rogue's. He wanted to stay close to her, just in case Stryker did something questionable.  
  
Stryker quickly grabbed three slices of bread and hungrily bit on them. His breaths were fast and hard as he heartily chewed on the bread. His mouth wasn't even empty yet when he shoved the last half of them into his mouth. He was gorging on them like there was no tomorrow.  
  
Rogue and Bobby had dumbfounded looks on their faces as they looked at Stryker. He really wasn't kidding when he told them that he hadn't eaten for two days. In fact, he looked like he hadn't eaten for a week. It was as if he could finish the entire loaf.  
  
His eyes darted at the jar of peanut butter and he quickly grabbed it. He twisted the lid open and he looked at the jar's creamy, brown content.  
  
Bobby couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man looked like he was willing to eat anything. He stood up and walked to the kitchen counter, where the kitchen utensils were. He picked up a spoon and showed it to Stryker.  
  
"Uh...You might want to use this." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
He tossed the spoon at Stryker, but it slipped from Stryker's hands and landed on the floor.  
  
"I'll get it." Stryker said as he pointed at the spoon.  
  
He bent down and picked the spoon from the floor. Then he sat up and scooped a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter from the jar. Rogue watched in horror as he stuck the peanut butter-filled spoon in his mouth.  
  
She leaned close to Bobby with a scared look on her face. "Remind me to buy another jar." She told him in a whisper.  
  
She cringed as she watched Stryker pull the spoon from his lips. The spoon now had little traces of peanut butter on it. His lips slightly moved up and down, as he swirled the peanut butter in his mouth it in his mouth. He looked at the spoon and furrowed his eyebrows. He knew he had tasted it somewhere before.  
  
His eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Rogue and Bobby. "Peanut butter." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
Bobby arched an eyebrow as he looked back at him. "Uh...yeah. That's what it says on the cover." He said as he moved the open jar close to Stryker.  
  
"You should consider eating it with bread next time." Rogue said with a disgusted look on her face.  
  
Bobby nudged Rogue with his elbow and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Hey, you sometimes eat peanut butter off the spoon too. You even lick it." He said in a joking way. He chuckled and Rogue gave him a soft, playful push. "Shut up, Bobby." She said firmly.  
  
Stryker grabbed two pieces of bread and shoved it in his mouth. He was definitely going to make up for those two days without food. He would eat everything on the table if he had to. He didn't even care if he looked ridiculous.  
  
Bobby placed his elbows on the table and slightly leaned towards Stryker. "So...you really don't remember anything?" He asked with narrowed eyes.  
  
Stryker stopped chewing and looked at him. His mouth was still full as he shook his head from side to side. "No. I don't." He said abruptly. The words were garbled as it escaped from his lips. He could barely say anything with the amount of food in his mouth.  
  
Bobby arched an eyebrow and nodded in an all-knowing way. "Oh." He said softly.  
  
Stryker suddenly stood up and the two almost jumped off their seats. They thought he was about to do something devious. Even if they now believed that he was truly incapable of inflicting harm, they still didn't trust him completely.  
  
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked curiously. He really had no idea why Stryker suddenly stood up like that.  
  
Stryker pointed at the drinking glasses on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to get a glass of water." He said with his mouth half-full.  
  
Bobby suddenly had a sly grin on his face and he looked at Rogue. Rogue's eyebrows furrowed as she saw Bobby's trademark juvenile grin.  
  
He looked at Stryker and smiled. "Sit down. I'll get it for you."  
  
Rogue knew he was up to no good. Bobby was a kind and nice guy, but he had a playful and naughty side that usually gets them in trouble.  
  
Bobby stood up and walked to the kitchen counter. He took a drinking glass, then he turned his head to look at Stryker. "I bet you want ice cold water."  
  
"Yes please." Stryker said as he bit on another piece of bread.  
  
Bobby went to the water dispenser and placed the glass under the 'lukewarm' water outlet. He smiled as lukewarm water filled the glass right up to its brim.  
  
/"He is going to be in for a big surprise."/ He thought to himself.  
  
He took the glass from the water dispenser, and then he sat down beside Rogue. She saw what he did and she glared at him.  
  
"What?" He asked with an innocent look on his face. "I'm just trying to be nice." He handed the glass to Stryker and smiled. "No hard feelings about earlier, okay?"  
  
Stryker took the glass and smiled back. "No problem, Bobby. Thanks for the food and the drink." He said as he raised the glass. "Gotta make sure the food goes down right, eh?"  
  
He drank from the glass and was surprised to feel the warm water against his lips. He thought Bobby got him cold water. Bobby made a little wave, and Stryker suddenly felt the warm water turn into ice-cold water. His eyes opened wide as he saw ice cubes forming inside the glass, and the glass itself was already too cold to the touch. He could even see little traces of ice on its smooth surface. He impulsively pulled the glass away from his lips, and its contents spilled on his pants.  
  
His eyes suddenly opened wide as he felt the freezing water seeping on his lap. He also couldn't stop his lips from shivering. He knew Bobby had something up his sleeve. He just seemed like the kind of mutant kid who would do something like that. He looked down and saw his pants all soaked. Of all the places, why did he have to get freezing water down there?  
  
Bobby covered his face as he snickered. His shoulders quickly shook up and down, as his snickering grew louder. He moved his hand away from his face and then he looked at Stryker. He couldn't hide the devious smile on his lips.  
  
"A little bit too cold down there, huh?" He asked, trying to hold his laughter back.  
  
Rogue glared at him and nudged him with her elbow. "Bobby!" She said with her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't believe what Bobby just did. If the professor were there, he would have probably scolded him.  
  
Stryker looked back at him with his lips still shivering and his eyes still wide open. "Uh huh. Pretty cold." He whimpered. "Very cold."  
  
Quick breaths escaped from his clenched teeth as he brushed the melting ice cubes from his lap. Then he pulled the soaked cloth away from his skin. He could slowly feel himself warming up now.  
  
He raised his eyebrows and exhaled. "That wasn't very nice." He said as he looked at Bobby. He had to speak his mind. If he was going to stay in the mansion for a couple of days, then he might as well be honest with the people who lived in it.  
  
Bobby looked away and had a serious expression on his face. Then he looked back at Stryker and stared at him coldly. "Well I don't remember you being nice when you infiltrated this school." He felt his jaw tighten. "Many of us could have died that night." He said with an angry tone in his voice.  
  
He knew that it happened in the past and that they should all forget about it, but who could forget a night when your very own home was invaded and your very own friends' lives were put to risk? And ironically, the man who was responsible for that was seated right in front of him.  
  
Stryker sighed and looked away. He bowed his head down, and then he looked at Bobby. "You're right, you know?" He said softly. "I wasn't nice. I'm never nice. No matter how hard I try, I could never change, can I? No matter how much I want to become someone else, I will always be me."  
  
Rogue and Bobby could feel the sincerity in his voice. But the fact still remained, that what he did, had already been done. And they could still feel its effects until now, especially with Jean dead. Thanks to Stryker, they would never see her again.  
  
Stryker tapped his hands on the table, and then he slowly stood up. He looked at them and nodded. "Thanks for the company. And the food. It was nice." He said abruptly. He forced a faint smile on his lips, and then he turned around and walked away.  
  
Bobby watched as Stryker walked out of the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt for what he had done. Perhaps Stryker really did want to change. And he could have helped him. They could have helped him become a new person. But instead, he had pushed Stryker further back into the past.  
  
Rogue saw the look on Bobby's eyes. She knew he felt guilty. She sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. Perhaps in time, all wounds would heal, everything would be forgiven, and all pasts would be forgotten.  
  
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	37. Must I dream and always see your face

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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W000T!!! finally!!! New chapters are up o!!!!  
  
throws a party for SKETTY24, TOPWITCH/WAYTOEVIL666, XMENLOGANFAN, ROSEMEG AND LIZ/MUYLOCOCHICA123 for being great reviewers o!!!  
  
I am so sorry if I haven't updated for a while .! I've been uber busy with tons of family/offline stuff lately x.x! Anyway, I hope you like chapters 37 and 38 . So sorry for the logan/yuriko fans out there if these two chapters are more stryker-centered. But don't worry...I'm working on chapter 39 now and L/Y will be back soon !  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = Chapter 37: Must I dream and always see your face  
  
Stryker's eyes wandered at the floor as he walked down the hallway. Bobby's words still lingered in his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but his words hit him hard. It made him realize that the past will always haunt the present. And no matter how he tries, people will always look at him as the man he once was.  
  
He wasn't even sure if he still wanted to look for Yuriko. Of course he wanted to see her again. He would do anything to see her face. But did she want to see him? There would be no point in looking for a woman who would just flee at the first sight of him. It would just turn into an endless chase, until he finally trips and falls behind.  
  
Why would she want to see him again anyway? She was now happy. She now had Logan, a loving family and a new home. She now had everything she ever wanted. As for him, he was just a little stain from her past that needed to be washed away.  
  
At first, he felt important because Yuriko needed him. He suffered under her, but she gave his life purpose. He could still remember the ways she made him feel pain, and he would rather feel that pain again, than feel nothing from her.  
  
But now, she had forgotten him. He had to accept that fact. The only thing that was left for him to do was to wait until he finally regained all of his memories. Then after that, he would become the man he feared. He would become himself. The real him. The man he was supposed to be.  
  
He reached the main entrance of the mansion and stared at the front door. He could go out of the mansion and look for her now, or he could just wait for her in their room. Then perhaps he could spend some time with her again if she decides to sleep there, in his company.  
  
After all, if he did find her and Logan together, Logan would probably try to keep him away from her anyway. So he might as well wait until she returned. He sighed and looked at the stairs that led to the second floor.  
  
He went up the left staircase and made his way to the next level. Then he walked down the hallway going to their room. He reached their room and was about to open its door, when he suddenly noticed a faint glow in the windows at the far end of the hallway.  
  
"Huh?" He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the glimmering windows. Something behind the mansion was giving off a faint light. What could that be?  
  
He slowly walked to the end of the corridor and looked outside one of the windows. He could see the entire swimming pool area from where he was standing. He saw a huge swimming pool that was big enough to fit most of the mansion's students. Its waters seemed to be illuminated by an underwater light source.  
  
Around the swimming pool were four lampposts, one on each corner. All of them were turned on, which was probably the reason why they were giving off so much light. But the forests that surrounded the swimming pool area were too dark for his eyes to see. It would have been a great view if the sun were up. If it were morning, he would be able to see everything, even the fields that lay behind the mansion.  
  
Then he suddenly noticed two figures sitting by the side of the pool. It was a man and a woman and they were seated close to each other. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He pressed his hand against the transparent glass of the window and moved his face closer for a better view. He finally recognized their familiar figures. It was Logan and Yuriko. Looks like he had found her after all.  
  
He clenched his jaw as he watched them in each other's company. Yuriko looked so happy as she talked to Logan. He could even see her placing her hand on Logan's shoulder as she talked. She even leaned against him and pressed her arm against his arm, she also placed her head on his shoulder and she touched his face. She seemed to enjoy not only their conversation, but also their physical connection.  
  
Stryker's closed his hand into a tight fist as he watched their display. He hated how close they were to each other. He hated seeing it. He wanted to turn around and walk away, but he wanted to see more of her smile...the smile that would never be his. He had never seen her that relaxed and happy with anyone before. She looked like a little girl who wanted to talk about everything in the world. While when she was with him, she seemed like a cold, heartless woman who felt nothing but hate.  
  
How come Logan was the only one who could bring out her smiles? How come Logan was the only one who could make her laugh that way? He made her eyes sparkle and her cheeks turn red whenever she blushed. Logan didn't even seem like an open and joyful person. He seemed like the kind of man who always kept to himself. He was always so serious and quiet, and yet Yuriko enjoyed his company. Why?  
  
Stryker pushed himself away from the window and he turned away. He didn't want to see anymore of that. He'd have enough. It pained him enough that she would never like him, and it pained him even more that she had fallen for another.  
  
/"Stop thinking this way, William!"/ He thought to himself. He bowed his head and clenched his fists by his side. /"Why are even feeling this way towards her?! You should hate her for making you suffer! You're a fool, William! You know the only reason you want her is because she's the only one you have. You have no choice. You don't even love her. You don't even want to make her happy! You just want her for yourself!!!"/  
  
"You like her, yes?" Asked a familiar voice.  
  
"I don't love her!!!" Stryker shouted impulsively. His eyes suddenly widened. Who did he just answer to? He was the only one in the hallway. He quickly turned around to see if anyone was there, but found no one in sight.  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes. His eyes darted from left to right as he keenly watched his surroundings. He knew he heard a voice. Someone else was there with him. He turned around, and suddenly saw Kurt right in front of his face.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide with shock, then he yelped and jumped back with his hand clutching his chest. He could feel his heart beating so fast. Then he suddenly remembered Kurt's powers. Kurt could teleport himself from one place to another in the blink of an eye. And apparently, that's what he just did.  
  
"Hello!" Kurt said with a smile as he waved at Stryker.  
  
Stryker's chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes were still wide with surprise as he looked at the blue man in front of him, and he could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. He really didn't know if he would ever get used to Kurt's teleportation ability.  
  
He took a deep breath and looked at the mutant. "Mr. Wagner...Oh god, you almost gave me a heart attack." He said as deep breaths escaped from his lips. His hand continued to clutch his chest while his heartbeat slowed down to a more normal pace. "I do appreciate your company," He added. "But please don't do that again." He looked at Kurt with pleading eyes. He could feel himself calming down now.  
  
"Oh." Kurt said with his eyebrows raised. He forgot that Stryker was still new to the mansion and was not used to his teleporting ability yet. He could still remember the horrified look on the older man's face when he suddenly appeared right in front of him. Stryker looked like he was about to faint.  
  
Kurt made a small, apologetic bow, and then he smiled at him. "I am very sorry for surprising you like that, Mr. Stryker." He said softly. "I think I just got too carried away." He folded his arms and pressed his three-fingered hands together. "It's just that I saw you alone in the hallway...so I thought I would drop by and keep you company. Perhaps I could get to know you better, yes? You tell me about yourself." The smile on his face grew wider as he looked at Stryker.  
  
Stryker arched an eyebrow as he looked back at Kurt. He was quite taken aback by Kurt's optimism and friendliness. And yet, he couldn't help but admire that. Despite the fact that Kurt looked so different, he still wasn't afraid to interact with the people around him. He didn't seem to care what the others might think of his appearance...he was just a young man who wanted to make friends. He was also the first mutant to have ever forgiven him, and Stryker would never forget that.  
  
He sighed and bowed his head down. "Look, Mr. Wagner. If you want to know more about me, then you're better off asking your friends." Then he looked at Kurt. His eyes looked like the eyes of a man who had lost all hope. "They seem to know everything about who I am." He said softly. "They even know me more than I know myself." His last few words almost faded into a whisper.  
  
He couldn't deny the truth behind what he had just said. While he remembered nothing of his past, his victims still remembered everything about it. They knew every facet of the man he used to be, knowing only of his monstrosity, but none of his humanity.  
  
He will always be known as the man that almost killed the entire mutant population. He will always be remembered as the murderous, heartless bastard who only cared for himself. And it pained him whenever they reminded him of his past self. It pained him so much because he himself can't accept the man who he used to be.  
  
Kurt saw the distant look in their former nemesis' eyes. After the words Stryker had just spoken, he knew what he was thinking about.  
  
He stepped towards Stryker and placed his hands on his shoulders. A gentle smile curled up his lips as he looked at him. "My friends do remember the man you once were, and I know that some of them still look at you as such. But I, my friend, would like to know the man who you are now."  
  
Stryker looked back at him, and then he stepped away from Kurt, pulling his shoulders away from his hands. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Wagner..." He said softly. "But there is no new man." His voice was void of any hope, any optimism. He continued to slowly walk backwards. "Can't you see? I'm still me. I'm still the man you once knew. You're just wasting your time." He said coldly.  
  
He clenched his jaw, and then he turned around so that he wasn't facing Kurt anymore. He stood in place and looked at the far end of the hallway "But I thank you for your forgiveness." He said with a hint of gratitude in his voice. "That forgiveness will at least give me an ounce of comfort once my soul is finally burning in hell." Stryker had accepted his fate. He had accepted the fact that he will soon revert to his former self. And that in the end, he would have to pay for his sins, one way or another.  
  
Kurt looked at Stryker's still form. Even if he couldn't see his face, he could still feel his pain. He wanted to reach out to him. He wanted to tell him that a person's past could never make a person's future. He wanted to give him hope...to tell him that people could change if they tried.  
  
"Yuriko..." Kurt whispered.  
  
Stryker's eyes suddenly opened wide as he heard her name. He saw an image of her face in his mind and he felt his chest tighten. And not just her face, but also everything about her. She was the only one that mattered to him, and now she belonged to another.  
  
"I saw the way you were looking at her." Kurt said softly. "Then I asked you if you liked her, and then you said you didn't love her." He emphasized the word 'love'.  
  
Stryker closed his hands into tight fists as he heard Kurt's words. "Because I don't!" He shouted through gritted teeth. Then he turned around to face Kurt, his eyes filled with intensity as he looked at him. "After all, how could I love her?" He asked coldly. "According to your friends, I am man who is incapable of loving...incapable of feeling emotions." He looked away and focused his eyes on glistening windows that lined the wall of the hallway. He didn't even want to think about her anymore. He knew that Logan and Yuriko were still out there in each other's company, and the thought killed him inside. It pained him to see her smile whenever she looked into Logan's eyes. It pained him to see her touching Logan in ways that she could never touch him.  
  
Logan had given her the happiness that he could never give. And it hurt him so much, to the point that he already wanted to revert to his former self and become the heartless, uncaring man that he used to be. Then he would never have to suffer like that again.  
  
"You say that you are incapable of loving." Kurt said softly. "But I asked you if you liked her. Not if you loved her. And yet you deny that you ---"  
  
Stryker breathed in and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look...Can we just stop talking about this for now, Mr. Wagner?" He looked at Kurt, his eyes filled with frustration. "I...I really don't want to think of it right now." His eyes darted from left to right as images of her flooded his mind. He wanted to stop thinking about her, but he couldn't.  
  
"I understand." Kurt said with a humble smile.  
  
Stryker sighed and looked away. "I'm sorry, but I just...I just need some time alone, okay? I need to get my mind off things...keep myself busy...do something to keep her out of my head." He said as he rubbed his hands together. He felt as if he was mumbling to himself...telling himself what to do. He really didn't know what he wanted anymore. Of course he wanted to see Yuriko again, but seeing her would just cause him pain. He was trapped in a situation where winning was not an option.  
  
Kurt's face suddenly perked up, and a wide smile curled up his lips. "Ah! So you want to keep yourself busy!"  
  
Stryker's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the expression on Kurt's face. It was as if a light bulb had lit above the blue man's head, and that somehow worried him. Kurt seemed to have something up his sleeve.  
  
"Um...Well, yes..." He said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He wasn't sure if he should have agreed with Mr. Wagner's recent inquiry.  
  
Kurt smiled and stepped towards him. "Good! I know something that would keep you busy all throughout the night." He said happily. He took another step towards Stryker.  
  
Stryker's eyes widened when he saw Kurt move towards him. He forcedly smiled at him and took a step back. His moved his hands in front of him in a refusing manner. "It's really okay, Mr. Wagner. I can take care of myself." He said courteously.  
  
He appreciated Kurt's gesture, but he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next. Based on his latest encounters in the mansion, those mutants tend to use their powers when he least expected them.  
  
Kurt stepped towards him again. "But I really do want to help you, Mr. Stryker." He said with a smile. His hands seemed to be reaching out to him.  
  
Stryker slowly took another step backwards as Kurt moved even closer to him. They were almost an arm's reach away from each other. "Mr. Wagner...Really, you don't have to help me. I'm fine." He forced a wide smile on his lips as he looked back at Kurt. "See? I'm all right now." He said, trying to make himself sound happy.  
  
"Come on, Mr. Stryker. I really want to help you as a friend." He said as he took another step closer. "You don't have to worry about anything." Kurt smiled and suddenly wrapped his arms around Stryker.  
  
Stryker's eyes widened with shock as he felt Kurt's arms around him. He was about to shout in protest, when the two of them suddenly vanished in a blue cloud of smoke.  
  
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	38. Through the eyes of a child

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Chapter 38: Through the eyes of a child  
  
In a split-second, the two of them reappeared in one of the mansion's living rooms. The living room had a big screen television, and a number of comfortable looking chairs and couches. The television was turned on, but its channels kept on changing with every second that passed by.  
  
Kurt pulled away from Stryker, and then his eyes opened wide with surprise as he saw the man in front of him. Stryker barely had any color on his face. His lips were pale and shaking, and so were his hands. His eyes looked blank as he stared at him, and he looked very, very sick. He seemed to have frozen in place.  
  
Kurt's eyebrows furrowed as he looked into Stryker's eyes. "Mr. Stryker?" He asked with a worried tone in his voice. He then remembered that some people didn't react lightly to being teleported.  
  
Stryker looked back at him and gave out a faint, sickly groan. Then he slowly placed his hand on his stomach. He could feel the food in his stomach wanting to go back up his throat. He tightly closed his lips as his shoulders jerked forward.  
  
"I don't feel so good." He groaned. He closed his lips again as he felt another urge to throw up all the food he had just eaten.  
  
"I think I'm going to throw up." He added. His hand continued to clutch his stomach. If there was one thing he realized, it was the fact that his body wasn't suited for teleporting. During the split-second teleportation process, he felt as if he was turned upside down, and inside out. There was no way he was going to bamf with Kurt again.  
  
"Do you need me to teleport you to the infirmary?" Kurt asked with concern in his voice. He knew he was to blame. But he just wanted to help. After all, he didn't know that that was going to happen.  
  
Stryker quickly moved away from Kurt and waved his hands in front of him in a refusing manner. "Oh no. No more. No more teleporting please." He said in an imposing, yet courteous way. "I really appreciate your kind gesture, Mr. Wagner, but I think I've had enough of your teleporting for now." He said as he looked at him. Once was definitely enough.  
  
Kurt raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "If you say so." He said with a smile. "And I apologize for the inconvenience. Perhaps next time you won't feel sick anymore, yes?"  
  
Stryker clasped his hands together and slightly shook his head from side to side. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but I believe there won't be a next time for me." He didn't want to turn him down, but he didn't want to go through another teleporting experience either.  
  
Kurt smiled and nodded. "I understand, Mr. Stryker." Then he motioned his hand towards the television set. "But you have the TV now. You said you wanted something to keep your mind busy. Well, whenever I can't sleep, I sit here and watch."  
  
Stryker looked at the TV, and his eyebrows furrowed. The TV's channel kept on changing from one station to another. It didn't even stay in one channel for more than two seconds. "Um...Kurt, I think the TV's broken ---" He turned his head towards Kurt and only saw traces of blue smoke in the air.  
  
He looked around and saw no sign of him anywhere. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You could at least warn me whenever you're going to disappear like that!" He said loudly as he looked upwards.  
  
He crossed his hands over his chest and indifferently looked at the defective TV. How in the world was he going to watch anything if it couldn't even stay in one channel? Kurt was right. That was definitely going to keep his mind off his problems...because he'd be too dizzy to think about them.  
  
He was about to walk towards the TV to try and fix it, when he suddenly heard a child's voice.  
  
"Kurt does that all the time. But he's pretty fun to have around." Said the voice.  
  
Stryker slowly looked over the couch and saw a little boy sitting on it. He had straight brown hair that went down to his eyebrows, and he was wearing a pair of glasses with round, black frames. His eyes were focused on the TV, and he blinked whenever the channels switched from one station to another. The boy had probably been there ever since him and Kurt teleported into the living room.  
  
"Hello." Said the boy, his eyes still blinking as he looked at the TV.  
  
"Hi." Stryker said softly. He found it odd that the boy didn't even look at him. The child seemed too busy blinking at the TV. He wasn't sure if the child was a mutant, but he definitely had a weird way of watching television.  
  
"Would you like to sit down?" Asked the boy politely.  
  
"Yes, I would." Stryker said softly.  
  
He was quite surprised that the child had invited him to sit. The boy probably didn't know who he was. With the way the child was talking to him, he didn't know that he was the William Stryker who almost destroyed their beloved school.  
  
He slowly walked around the couch and sat an arm's reach away from where the boy was sitting. "Thank you." He said as he made himself comfortable. He leaned back and placed his hands on his lap.  
  
"I'm Jones." Said the boy, his eyes still focused on the TV.  
  
"And I'm William." Said Stryker as he tapped his fingers on his lap. He kind of felt awkward talking to a kid who did nothing but blink at the television.  
  
He looked at Jones and saw him still blinking. He couldn't help but wonder what the boy's mutant abilities were. Perhaps his abilities had something to do with his eyes. He wanted to ask him, but he didn't want to sound like an inquisitive grown-up. After all, he finally found a mutant who knew nothing of his past. He might as well enjoy the company, even if it was in the form of a boy who looked no older than thirteen.  
  
"Are you a new student?" Asked the boy curiously.  
  
Stryker breathed in and clasped his hands together. He really didn't know what to say. He definitely wasn't a student of the school and he definitely wasn't a mutant. "Well, no. I'm actually just a guest here. I'm visiting...a friend." It was the safest thing he could say. He didn't want to tell Jones who he really was.  
  
"I kinda guessed that." Jones said. "You're too old to be student." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
Stryker raised his eyebrows and turned his head to look at Jones. The kid was pretty frank. But then, the child was right, because he was pretty old. He himself was surprised when he first looked into a mirror and saw an old face staring back at him. When Yuriko first found him by the river, he actually thought that he was the same age as her.  
  
"By the way..." He said as he looked at Jones. "Shouldn't you be asleep by now? I mean...this is a school. The professor probably doesn't like it when his students stay up late to..." He looked at the television and cringed as the channels continued to change. "...watch late night TV." He said with disdain in his voice.  
  
"Sleep?" Asked Jones. "I don't sleep." He said abruptly.  
  
"Oh." Stryker said as he raised his eyebrows. That was probably Jones' mutant power...the inability to sleep. But what kind of mutant ability was that anyway?  
  
He tapped his thumbs against each other as he forcedly looked at the TV. He narrowed his eyes as the channels changed from one station to another. If it were up to him, he would rather turn the television off instead.  
  
He leaned closer to Jones, his eyes still focused on the TV screen. "Um...Jones? Shouldn't we call on someone to fix the TV?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get dizzy."  
  
Jones suddenly looked at him, and Stryker almost jumped back in surprise. It was the first time he had ever seen the boy look away from the TV. And coincidentally, the channels stopped changing when he did.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry." Said Jones. "The TV's not broken. I was actually looking for something good to watch. But I couldn't find any, so I just went channel surfing." He looked at the TV and saw a news show on the screen. "That's boring." He whined. Then he blinked, and the channel changed into another station that was showing cartoons. "Now that's more like it." He said enthusiastically. He sat back and watched the show.  
  
Stryker's eyes widened when he saw what Jones just did. Now he knew why the channels changed whenever he blinked. He breathed in, and slowly moved himself a couple of inches away from him. Jones was not just incapable of sleeping...he could also control and manipulate things with his eyes.  
  
Stryker sat still on his end of the couch as he watched the show in front of him. At least the TV was now in one channel. He glanced at Jones every now and then, just to see if he was going to do other things with his eyes.  
  
"So... you can change the channel by blinking, huh?" He asked curiously as he looked at Jones. He might as well know more about the boy. It would do him no good if he just sat there, fearing his mutant powers.  
  
Jones looked at him and smiled. "Uh huh." He said as he nodded.  
  
Stryker suddenly jumped to the far end of the couch when he saw Jones looking at him. He still couldn't help but fear the child's eyes, especially now that he knew what they were capable of doing. Who knows what else he could do with those eyes of his?  
  
"Are you all right, William?" Jones asked when he saw Stryker's recent action. The boy had a curious look on his face as he looked at the older man.  
  
Stryker saw how the boy was looking at him, and he realized what he just did. He probably looked like a stupid, close-minded, mutant-fearing human. He couldn't hide the embarrassed look on his face as he slowly moved back to where he was originally seated. Then he straightened his suit and smoothed his tie, and smiled back at the boy. So what if Jones was a mutant? He was still a little human boy. And he would never harm anyone. There was no need to fear him.  
  
He tapped his fingers on his lap as he looked at Jones from the corner of his eye. He knew he had to apologize. He didn't want the boy to think that he feared him just because he was a mutant.  
  
He bowed his head down and looked at the boy who was seated beside him. "Jones...Look, I'm really sorry for acting like..." Then he stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw the young man snickering. The boy seemed to be laughing at something.  
  
"What are you laughing at?" Stryker asked curiously, his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
Jones looked at him with a big smile on his face. "You. You looked so funny." He snickered again. "You looked like Rogue when she saw a mouse in the kitchen. It ran across the floor and then she screamed and jumped on the table."  
  
It was funny how a mere child's innocence could make a fully-grown man realize his own flaws and mistakes. Stryker smiled and scratched his head. "Yeah. I did look ridiculous, didn't I?" He said as he looked at the boy.  
  
Jones raised his eyebrows and nodded in an all-knowing way. "Mm Hmm. But that's okay. You're pretty cool for an old guy."  
  
Stryker arched an eyebrow. "Look, can we drop the 'old guy' bit already? I'm not that old." He said in a joking way.  
  
Jones looked back at the TV. "Anyway, thanks for keeping me company." He said as he watched the show. "It's been pretty quiet around here with the other students gone. Well, there's Kurt and Scott and Bobby and the others, but they're busy doing their own stuff." Then he looked back at Stryker. "And at nighttime, I really don't have someone to talk to. Kurt stays up late sometimes, but not all the time, like me."  
  
Stryker looked at Jones curiously. "Well, don't you want to go home? Logan said that the students were sent home because the mansion is undergoing repairs. How about you? Don't you miss your family?"  
  
Jones sighed and he looked back at the TV. "I really do want to go home. But, well, you see, my parents are busy with their own stuff too."  
  
Stryker nodded. "Oh. Okay." He said softly. He really didn't know how to react to what the boy had just said. He couldn't imagine how Jones' parents could be too busy for him. It's like they didn't even care about their own son. The school was a safe place, but any parent would want their child by their side during situations like that.  
  
"Didn't you tell them that you wanted to go home?" He asked curiously.  
  
Jones looked back at him. "Yeah. I did. But...they said I'm better off here. They said I belong here." Then he smiled. "But that's really okay because I'm really happy staying here with the other students. It's really fun especially when everyone's around."  
  
A gentle smile curled up Stryker's lips as he looked at Jones. He admired the child's independence and optimism. Even if he was shunned by the very people who had brought him into this world, he was still determined to live a happy life.  
  
"So this school really does take care of you, huh?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. We're like a family here." Said Jones. "The professor's like a father to us, and so is Scott. The professor said that we should always take care of each other, and that's what we do." He said with enthusiasm in his voice. He sounded like he could talk about the school for hours on end. It sounded like heaven to him...a place where he could always be safe, accepted and happy.  
  
Stryker felt his chest tightened as he heard Jones' words. He couldn't believe that that was the same school he tried to destroy before. And those students, including Jones, were the children he almost slaughtered. No wonder everyone looked at him with so much hate and contempt. He deserved it. And the more he looked at Jones, the more he hated himself. Because he almost drenched his hands with that boy's blood...almost.  
  
"William?" Jones asked when he saw the distant look on Stryker's eyes. He waved his hands in front of Stryker's face. "Hello?"  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide with surprise when he snapped out of his trance. "Oh...I'm sorry. I'm fine." He forced a smile upon his lips. "I was just thinking about something."  
  
"Okay." Jones said with a smile. Then he tilted his head in an innocent, childlike way as he looked at Stryker curiously. "How about you?" He asked. "Do you have a son?"  
  
Stryker looked at Jones with his eyebrows furrowed. And then he looked away. He could hear Jones' question echoing in his head as his heart pounded in his chest. Something about Jones' question bothered him. His eyes darted from left to right as blurry images suddenly started flashing in his mind. He felt as if his mind was unearthing some of his memories...and yet he couldn't understand any of them.  
  
Then he saw a boy. He saw him in his mind. The boy was so small, so fragile. His eyes were of different colors. And right beside the boy was a young woman. She had wavy, brown hair, full lips and a beautiful face. They were both smiling at someone. They looked like they were having their picture taken. Yes...there was a man and he had a camera. He was going to take their picture. He couldn't see who the man was because he was holding the camera over his face. Then the man moved the camera away and...  
  
Stryker suddenly leaned forward and placed his hand over his head as quick, rugged breaths escaped from his lips. The blurry image ended before he could see more of it. Was that vision a part of his memories? A part of his past? Who were the young boy and the young woman? And who was taking their picture? Why did Jones question trigger that image? Did he use to have a son?  
  
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. He clasped his hands over his stomach and he deeply breathed in and out. He didn't know why that image made him feel so heavy. The woman and the boy looked so happy, and yet, something about it didn't feel right. Seeing their smiles caused him so much pain. What was wrong? Who were they? Did he know them?  
  
He opened his eyes and saw Jones looking at him.  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?" The boy asked curiously.  
  
Stryker sat up straight and smiled. "Yes. I'm fine." He said as he nodded. "I...uh...probably still feel sick from teleporting here."  
  
He just wanted to forget about what he saw. If it were truly a part of his past, then he would eventually remember it anyway. He would remember it once he regained all his memories. But as for now, he just wanted to relish his current innocence. He wanted to forget about the man he once was...and for once, live his life as the man he never knew.  
  
"You asked me if I had a son." He looked at Jones. "No. I don't." He said with a smile.  
  
"How about your friend?" Jones asked. "Is she a student here?"  
  
Stryker's eyebrows furrowed. /"Friend? What friend?"/ He thought to himself.  
  
Then he remembered what he told Jones earlier...about the reason why he was there in the mansion. "Ah yes." He said with enthusiasm. "My friend...um, well, she's actually new around here. I think she's going to be working with the professor."  
  
Jones' eyes widened. "You mean we're going to have a new teacher?" He asked with excitement in his voice.  
  
Stryer smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I believe so. And I know you'll like her. She's great." Stryker looked away and the grin on his lips grew wider. "One of the best persons I've ever known." She was the only person he ever truly knew. He had only been with her for two days...and yet he was talking as if he had known her his entire life. He talked as if she really was his friend. Perhaps in the past, she really was.  
  
"Where is she now?" Jones asked. "Well you did come here to visit her, right?"  
  
The smile on Stryker's face suddenly faded as he looked back at Jones. Of course he knew where she was...She was with that Logan. "She's with a friend of hers." He said abruptly.  
  
It was the last thing he wanted to think about. Whenever he thought of Yuriko and Logan together, he just wanted to march out to the swimming pool area and pull them apart. Then he looked at Jones and forced a smile on his face. He didn't want to look like something was bothering him.  
  
"So...if you came here to visit her, then why is she with another friend? I thought you were her friend. So she should be with you." He said in an innocent way. He emphasized the word 'you' whenever he mentioned it.  
  
Stryker smirked and shook his head from side to side. There seemed to be no limit to Jones' curiosity and talkativeness. But then, he really couldn't blame the child. Who else would the boy talk to at this time of the night? And since most of the students were away, he really didn't have anyone else to spend the time with.  
  
He raised his eyebrows and looked at Jones. "You're a very curious young man, aren't you?" He asked.  
  
"I just want to get to know you better." Jones said with a smile. "They say don't talk to strangers, but once you get to know someone, they're not strangers anymore, right?" He looked back at Stryker with his round, innocent, child-like eyes.  
  
Stryker nodded his head. "True....true." Then he looked at Jones with his eyebrows furrowed. "So...I was just wondering. What else can you do?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Jones asked curiously.  
  
"I mean...your powers." Stryker said. He looked at the TV and pointed to it. "Well, you can change the channel just by blinking at the TV. Can you do anything else?"  
  
"What?" Jones asked. "Like this?" He turned his head towards the bookcase, and one of the books flew off the shelf and floated towards Jones. Jones grabbed it in midair and then he looked at the cover. "The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery." He read out loud. Then he handed the book to Stryker.  
  
"I've read it tons of times before. It's pretty good. You want to read it?" He asked.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide as he saw what just happened. He looked at the book and remained unmoving. After a few seconds, he reached out and took it from Jones' hand. "Yeah. I guess I...would like to read it." He said. He still couldn't believe what Jones just did. Those mutants were definitely full of surprises.  
  
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	39. Perfect doesn't last forever

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's the next chapter o!!! Thank you so much for your reviews !!!!!!  
  
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Chapter 39: Perfect doesn't last forever  
  
Yuriko didn't want the moment to end. She moved closer to Logan and felt her arm brushing against his. Everything was so perfect the way it was...the stars, the night sky, the cool evening breeze, herself, and Logan. The moment looked like something out of a fairy tale ending. She didn't want any of it to end. She wanted it all to last forever.  
  
She looked at Logan and saw him looking up at the stars. His eyes seemed to reach out to the infinite sky. She could also see a gentle smile on his lips. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Maybe he was thinking about her.  
  
On the hours that she had spent with him, she was able to know the man behind the adamantium claws. She saw him smile, laugh, and talk about things. She saw the side of him she thought she'd never see. When she fought him in the underground base, the last thing she expected was to find her sitting by his side. And now, there she was...sitting beside her former nemesis, gazing up at the same sky and sharing the same stars.  
  
Both of them have freed themselves from their fate. And both of them have decided to create their own destiny. Their pasts were now gone and forgotten, but they still had their future. Perhaps they were really meant to be. Even after years of separation, they still found their way back to each other.  
  
Logan noticed Yuriko looking at him from the corner of his eye. "Be careful. I might melt if you stare at me too much." He said in a joking way.  
  
She suddenly felt herself blush. She didn't really realize that she was staring too much "Sorry." Yuriko said as she smiled. "I just wanted to look at your face." She said softly.  
  
Logan smiled, his eyes still looking at the stars. "Well you don't have to spend the entire night looking at me, you know." Then he turned his head to look at her. "After all, you have your entire lifetime to do that." He said with a smile.  
  
Yuriko smiled and looked away. Her eyes focused on the glistening waters before her. Did Logan mean that he wanted her to stay? That he wanted her by his side? She wished he did. She would want nothing more but to spend the rest of her life with him...to catch up on the time they had both lost.  
  
But at the same time, she was scared. Because if she decides to unearth their past, it might reveal something that would tear them apart again. She could feel it in her gut...there was something in her past that would change the way she looked at Logan, Stryker and herself. Why couldn't everything remain the way it was? Why did she have to lose one in exchange for the other?  
  
Then she suddenly looked towards the mansion. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at one of the windows on the second floor. She felt as if someone was there a while ago...looking at her...staring at her...watching her. And deep inside she knew who that person was. It was him...the man who had caused her a lifetime of pain.  
  
"Yuriko?" Logan asked as he saw her looking at the mansion.  
  
Yuriko suddenly looked at Logan. "I...I was just looking at something." She said, forcing a smile on her lips. Then she looked away and stared back at the waters of the swimming pool. She liked looking at it. Looking at those clear, calm waters gave her a sense of serenity...a sense of peace...a sense of freedom.  
  
Logan knew there was something bothering her. He could see it in her eyes. She looked as if she was lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps she was thinking about her decision. He wished he could just make her let go of her past the way he had let go of his. But after hearing her speak of her vision, he understood why she didn't want to let go. And now, a part of him wanted to know about his past too. Yuriko was right. No matter how hard they try, the past will always catch up with them. It would always remind them of the things they have forgotten...the things they have lost.  
  
The silence was suddenly broken by Yuriko's voice. "I don't know if I can still kill him, Logan." She said, her voice shaking. She breathed in and tightly closed her lips.  
  
He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"  
  
She looked at him, trying to hold back her tears. "I can't. Despite the fact that I hate him with every fiber of my being, I can't kill him." She just wanted to break down and cry. She felt so confused. There were so many things happening at the same time...so many decisions to make. Why did she even have to bring Stryker with her? He just made things more complicated.  
  
He stared deep into her eyes. "Then don't." He said softly.  
  
"But I want to make him pay, Logan! I want to make him pay for what he did to me! I want to make him suffer!" She said through clenched teeth. Her voice was filled with anger as she remembered her torment under him. And then, she felt tears slowly running down her cheeks. Why? Why was she crying?  
  
Logan reached out and gently cupped her cheek with his hand. "Then make him pay, Yuriko. But don't force yourself to kill." He said firmly. "I've killed so many people in my life. I know I killed them to protect the people that I love...and yet, at night, when I'm alone, I can still see their faces. I can still see the emptiness in their eyes as their lives faded from their bodies. I would be lying if I told you that I did not derive pleasure from their death. But sometimes...I regret killing them. And now they continue to haunt me, reminding me that I am still the man I was meant to be...a weapon. And I don't want you to go through that, Yuriko. I don't want you living the rest of your life regretting who you are. Stryker's not worth it. He is not."  
  
Yuriko placed her hand over Logan's and gently pressed it against her cheek. She closed her eyes gently rubbed against it. She loved feeling his touch. Seeing him, hearing him, feeling him, made her forget about all her worries. But he could never make her forget about the visions of her past.  
  
She opened her eyes and looked into his. Then she pulled away and stood up. Logan remained seated by the pool as he watched her. She looked at the clear waters and then she leaned forward, letting herself plunge into it. She closed her eyes as she felt the warm water engulfing her body in its fluidity. She could feel it flowing against every part of her, caressing her. She felt so free...so weightless.  
  
She let her body float up on the swimming pool as her face looked up at the stars. She could feel the water cradling her in its soft waves. She couldn't hear anything with her ears below the water, but she could hear herself and her own thoughts clearer than she had ever heard herself before. She had finally made a decision. And tonight, she just wanted to enjoy everything as it was now, before the sun comes up and reveals her past.  
  
Logan looked at Yuriko as she floated on the pool. He knew she had finally made up her mind about the past. And even if he didn't like it, he had to accept it. It was the only way that she could set herself free. And perhaps, it would set him free too.  
  
He took his shoes off and then slowly lowered himself into the swimming pool. She waded through the water towards Yuriko. He stood by her floating form and gently held her hand. Yuriko saw Logan right beside her, and she slowly stood up to face him.  
  
She had to tell him her decision. "Logan...I'm sorry but..."  
  
"It's all right." Logan said as he looked into her eyes. "I understand. It's your life, Yuriko. And I don't want to stand in your way. I want you to do what you think is best."  
  
He didn't know why, but he wanted to hold her. He wanted to feel her for as long as he could. He felt as if that night could be their last night together. But why? Was it because of her past? Why did her past matter to him anyway? Why did her past affect him so much? And why did he fear it?  
  
Then he suddenly stepped towards Yuriko and wrapped his arms tightly around her svelte figure. He pulled her firmly against him. He had to feel her. He had to. Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise as she felt his strong arms around her body. There was something different in the way he was holding her right now. The first time Logan held her was when he saw her crying outside her door. He held her because he wanted to comfort her...he wanted to protect her. But now, it's like he held her because he wanted to really feel her...because he didn't want to let her go.  
  
Yuriko could see the stars over Logan's shoulder. Soon, those stars would disappear, and the sun would rise for a new day...and that would be the day when she would regain her past. But for now, she was locked in the arms of the present. And a part of her wished that she could stay trapped in that time forever. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She just wanted to surrender to that moment.  
  
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Stryker furrowed his eyebrows as he read the last page of The Little Prince. It really didn't take him that long to read the entire story since it was only fifty-four pages long. He closed it and set it down on the table in front of him.  
  
Then he looked at Jones, his face looking distraught. "How can you that like that?" He asked as he pointed to the book.  
  
"You mean the story? It was pretty good, huh?" Jones asked with a smile.  
  
Stryker couldn't believe what the child had said. "But...the hero died in the end." He said with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
Jones shook his head from side to side. "No. He didn't die." He looked at the book, and it floated from the table to his hand. He opened it and turned it to the last page. He moved closer to Stryker and showed to him. "See?" He asked, pointing to the last paragraph. Then he read it out loud "Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back."  
  
Then he looked at Stryker and smiled. "That means he didn't die. He just left. It doesn't mean that when people disappear, they're forever gone." He said with a happy tone in his voice. He closed the book and placed it on his lap.  
  
Stryker couldn't help but smile as he looked at the boy who was seated right next to him. He gave out a small laugh and ruffled the boy's hair. "Then I was wrong. The story did end happily, didn't it?" But he knew how it truly ended...The hero did die in the end. A child wouldn't easily understand something like that, and he knew it would be best if it just stayed that way.  
  
"Jones!" Shouted a man's voice.  
  
Stryker and Jones looked behind them and saw Scott standing in the entrance of the living room. Scott clenched his fists as he saw Jones sitting beside that madman. He didn't want him anywhere near Stryker. Even if Stryker had lost his memories, he was still the same man who almost killed the entire mutant population. His amnesia could even be a ploy to get him back into the mansion. Letting Jones stay with Stryker would be the same as letting Jones play with fire...and he didn't want the child to get burned.  
  
"Hi, Scott!" Shouted Jones as he smiled at Scott.  
  
"It's time to go upstairs, Jones. It's getting pretty late." Scott said firmly. His eyes angrily looked at Stryker. He wanted to watch his every move.  
  
"You know I don't sleep." Said Jones with a sigh.  
  
"I know. But I want you to go upstairs now." He emphasized the word 'now'.  
  
"But Scott...." Jones whined.  
  
"It's not safe down here." Scott said as he looked at Stryker. He didn't want Jones to spend another minute with that man.  
  
"Well I do have a grown up with me." Jones said matter-of-factly. He placed a hand on Stryker's shoulder. "His name is William and he's visiting a friend. He'll keep me safe." Then he looked at Stryker. "Right, William?"  
  
Stryker looked at Jones and he nodded. Then he stood up and looked at Scott. "Scott...I mean, Mr. Summers...perhaps you could consider letting him stay down here for another hour. The boy doesn't want to go up yet and he doesn't sleep anyway. If you worry about his safety then---"  
  
"I do worry about his safety." Scott said coldly. He clenched his jaw as he looked back at Stryker. "That's why I want to keep him away from you. I'd rather leave him alone, out there, in the streets, than leave him in your company." He could feel his eyes burning with anger.  
  
Jones looked confused as he looked at Scott and Stryker. He stood up beside Stryker and tugged on the sleeve of his suit. "What does he mean, William?"  
  
Stryker looked at the boy and forcedly smiled at him. "You know what, Jones?" He asked softly. "Scott is right. You better go upstairs. It's safer there."  
  
"But it's boring up there." He said as he looked at the older man. "Scott's gonna go to bed soon then I'll be the only one left awake." He whined.  
  
Stryker sighed and picked up the book from the couch. He handed it to Jones. "You told me you like the story. So maybe you could read it again tonight." He said with a smile.  
  
He didn't want Jones to go yet, but he knew it was for the best. He also feared that he might once again transform into his former self and he didn't want the boy to be around when he did. Because once he becomes his past self, he would do things to Jones that even he himself couldn't imagine. Scott was right after all. The boy could never be safe in his company. He didn't even feel safe with himself.  
  
"Okay." Said Jones as he held the book close to him. "Maybe I'll see again the next time you visit." He said with a smile.  
  
Stryker knew that that would be his last visit to the mansion. He would probably never see the boy again. He smiled and patted Jones on the head "Now you take care of yourself, okay?" He asked.  
  
Jones nodded and then he walked to Scott. Scott held Jones close to him as he angrily looked at Stryker. "Let's go, Jones." He said firmly. Then he took the boy with him.  
  
Stryker remained standing in the middle of the living room as Scott and Jones vanished from his sight. He couldn't blame Scott for acting that way towards him. Scott just wanted to keep the child safe from harm. If he were in Scott's place, he knew would have done the same. Even he would escape from himself if he could.  
  
He looked around the room and once again felt so alone. He still couldn't believe how he was able to live his previous life like that...as a man who only thrived on anger and hate...a lone man who wanted nothing but death. No wonder everyone hated him with the same passion.  
  
He sat back on the couch and sighed. His eyes stared blankly at the TV. He didn't feel like doing anything anymore. After all, nothing would matter. In a matter of days, he will regain all of his memories and everything will return back to the way it was. He will once again be the villain, and they, the mutants, will once again be his enemies.  
  
Then he thought of her...Yuriko Oyama...the woman who plagued his mind like a virus. He still couldn't stop thinking of her. What would happen to them once they both regained their pasts? Will he still feel the same way for her? Will he try to hurt her again? Or will something change? Their future seemed so blurry now.  
  
Stryker's head suddenly perked up as he heard the sound of a door closing followed by some footsteps. Someone seemed to have entered the mansion. He looked to his side and his eyes opened wide with surprise as he saw Yuriko and Logan quickly walk through the hallway. They were holding each other's hands and they both looked...wet.  
  
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	40. She's still here

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Yeap...the spotlight is back on Yuriko and Logan !!! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter ! It's great to see a lot of new readers too :D!!! bows down in gratitude .  
  
SKETTY24 = AAAH!!! Looks like no one wants to remember the past, except for Yuriko. x.x! But then, we really can't blame the gal? Heck, if I had those visions, I'd probably wanna remember my past too. Lol! Hmmm...so, will she push through, or not? All will be revealed!...soon! dun dun duun!!!  
  
LADY DEATHSTRIKE1 = LMAO!!! Yeah...it is kinda GROSS that Stryker's into Yuriko...but it'll make more sense once their pasts are revealed ! (but yah, it's pretty ga-ross. LMAO!!!)  
  
WAYTOEVIL666 = Thanks for the review ! Yeah, I've seen X-Men evo ! It's playing down here in the Philippines in Cartoon Network :D!  
  
CALOGAN = Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story ! And yeah, considering that they both went 'swimming', they really were wet. LOL! The Little Prince is a really good book. I read it back in highschool and I couldn't help but feel sad for the ending =(. As for Oscar and Ms. Rose, I haven't read it yet =(. Sounds like a good read though =).  
  
MUYLOCOCHICCA = Hmmm...since Stryker is kinda 'obsessed' with Yuriko, he probably is angry. But then, who knows, right? !  
  
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Chapter 40: She's still here  
  
Yuriko felt cold as her wet clothes pressed against her body, but she didn't care. She just wanted to relish and enjoy Logan's company. "Thank you for the wonderful night, Logan." She said with a smile as she walked by his side.  
  
Logan looked at her and smiled. "I should be the one thanking you." He said as he gently squeezed her hand. "You made me realize a lot of things tonight." He said softly. "For fifteen years, I asked myself so many questions...how's and why's and what's and when's. And for fifteen years I was only able to answer a fraction of them. Then you came along, the real you, and you filled up all the empty spaces."  
  
He still couldn't believe how he was acting towards her. He wasn't the kind of person who would openly say things like that. And yet with Yuriko, everything felt so natural. He didn't even have to force himself to act and talk the way he did. What was it with Yuriko that made him act that way?  
  
Perhaps it was their special connection. Whenever he was with her, she unearthed a part of him that he never even knew existed. At times, he even felt as if he was a different man, especially when he looked into her eyes. It was like there was another person inside of him...a person who knew her so well.  
  
He wanted to tell her about that...the way he truly felt about their connection. But now was not the right time. Though he felt closer to her than ever, he wanted to wait until she had regained her past. He wanted to wait until she finally became her whole self. Because if she told her now, he would only be saying those words to a small part of Yuriko...because most of who she is, seemed to be trapped in the past she never knew.  
  
Logan led Yuriko to the elevator and they both stepped inside.  
  
Yuriko smiled and looked at him. "So...where are we going now?" She asked curiously.  
  
Logan smiled and arched an eyebrow as he looked back at her. "Well first of all, we have to get you out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold. I don't want Charles to think that I've made our newest member sick right on the first day." He said with a joking tone in his voice.  
  
The elevator door opened and they walked into the second floor of the mansion. Yuriko suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing Logan to stop too.  
  
"What?" He asked as he looked at her.  
  
Yuriko looked at him and giggled. "I don't get sick." She said with a smile. "I am impervious to any kind of illness." She said proudly.  
  
Logan arched an eyebrow and nodded. "Uh huh. Looks like we really have more in common than I thought."  
  
He couldn't believe how truly alike they were. Not only were their pasts similar, but all of their abilities were exactly the same. Some of her physical attributes were even better than his. She was faster, more agile, and she obviously had more weapons...four more claws to be exact. He was definitely glad to have her as an ally now, rather than as an enemy. She almost killed him in their first encounter. If it wasn't for the adamantium apparatus in the underground base, he knew she would have defeated him.  
  
Logan folded his arms over his chest and he looked at her. "So, is there anything else I need to know about you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't get me wrong. I like surprises...but if you have other abilities, then I might as well know them now."  
  
Yuriko smiled, then she stepped towards him and ran a hand down his cheek. "Look at us, Logan." She said softly as she looked deeply into his eyes. "We were both created more than a decade ago...but neither of us have aged a day."  
  
Logan knew it was true. Fifteen years have gone since he escaped from Stryker's lab, and he never, even once, felt the weight of time upon his body. With every year that passed by, everyone else withered with age, while he, remained the way he was...as young, as vigorous and as healthy as when he first resurfaced from the lab. Even Stryker pointed it out when he saw him in the mansion. 'You haven't changed one bit...' he said.  
  
When he first noticed his aging process, he wanted to deny it. He didn't want to accept the fact that he would continue to live on while the people he knew would soon die, leaving him all alone. That's why he didn't want to get close to anyone. He didn't want to get hurt. He didn't want to see them dying with age, one by one.  
  
Then he found himself in the mansion, and everything changed. Spending time with the professor and the others had made him realize that every fleeting moment should be lived with purpose and objective...that he should make use of the time that had been given to him. He realized that every second, and every minute of his life, was as precious as his entire lifetime. He still knew that in a couple of decades, his friends, his family, everyone he cared for would all grow old and die. But he didn't want to think about the future...he wanted to live his life with them now. He wanted to cherish every moment, and remember every memory.  
  
He looked at Yuriko and smiled. She will continue to live on with him. She would never die and fade away with the others. He was not alone anymore, and he will never be alone again. And if she does die, then they would die together. She would be by his side until the end of their days, where she was meant to be right from the beginning.  
  
Yuriko could see the happiness in Logan's eyes. While she had lived the past ten years of her life under Stryker's command, Logan had wandered the world, bearing the burden of who he was. She could just imagine how lost he felt...how lost and alone...to live a life without memories, but with abilities that separated him from everyone else.  
  
Logan took Yuriko's hand and gently pulled her with him. "Come on. Let's get you out of those wet clothes." He said with a smile. He too had made a decision. No matter what happens, he would never let her go...not now that he had finally found her.  
  
She followed Logan down the hall, then her eyebrows furrowed. "Um, how exactly are we going to get clothes for me?" She asked. "These are the only clothes I have."  
  
"I know." He said with a smile. "That's why we're going to borrow from a friend." He said as he walked by her side. Then the smile on his lips slowly faded and his eyes turned into pools of emptiness.  
  
She looked at Logan and saw the empty look in his eyes. It was as if all of his happiness had faded away when he mentioned his friend. "Which friend?" She asked curiously.  
  
They stopped in front of a room and then he looked at her, forcing a gentle smile on his lips. "A good friend. One that I will never forget for as long as I live." He said softly. He opened the door to the room and they both stepped inside.  
  
He quickly switched on the light, and they both found themselves standing in a simple, little room. Everything looked so clean, orderly and untouched, as if its owner hadn't been in it for days. Yuriko's eyes wandered around the room. It had a bed, a desk with a computer, a cabinet, and a shelf filled with a variety of books, pictures, and other displays. But despite all of those things, the room still felt so empty. And something about it felt Yuriko's heart with sadness.  
  
Somehow, she knew whose room it was. It was the room of the friend Logan had lost during the Alkali incident. She was standing in the room of the woman named Jean Grey. She walked towards the shelf and looked at the pictures that neatly lined it. Yes...she did remember her face. She saw her in one of Stryker's files. Like the professor, she too was also a telepath.  
  
Most of the pictures were of Jean and Scott, and some of them were of her and the students and the other members of the team. And on the far end of the shelf was a picture of Logan...and he was smiling. Jean was probably the one who took that picture...she sounded like a woman who could also make him smile.  
  
She turned around and saw Logan blankly staring at the picture on the table beside the bed. It was a picture of Jean Grey. She was standing in front of the mansion and she had a sweet smile on her face. She looked so happy, so content. Yuriko saw Logan clench his fists as he stared at Jean's picture. She knew Logan missed her. She knew he missed her so much.  
  
She couldn't help but feel responsible for Jean's death. If only she were able to fight Stryker's mind-control drug, then she could have stopped him. But it was too late for that now. Jean was already dead...and nothing can bring her back.  
  
Yuriko walked up to Logan and threw her arms around his neck. She pressed her face against his chest as tears started to run down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Logan. I am so sorry." She said, her voice shaking.  
  
Logan clenched his jaw as he tried to hold back his own tears. His eyes remained focus on Jean's picture. Even until now he still couldn't believe that she was gone. Never did he think that they would part so soon. Deep inside he wished that he had never left to seek out his past. Then he could have spent more time with Jean...he could have been with her before her untimely passing.  
  
"If only I was strong enough, Logan." Cried Yuriko. "If only I was strong enough then I could have stopped Stryker! I could have stopped William and Jean wouldn't have died! I am so sorry. Please forgive me." She could barely talk as she sobbed against his chest. Her tears flowed from her eyes and streamed down her face like fading waterfalls. If only she could have stopped him...if only.  
  
Logan gasped as he fought the tears that were about to flow from his own eyes. Then he held Yuriko by the shoulders and gently pulled her from him. He looked at her face and saw traces of tears on her cheeks. Her eyes looked like she had cried for days.  
  
"Don't be sorry, Yuriko." He said softly as he stared into her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. You've never done anything wrong." He said firmly. "Please don't cry." He moved his face closer to hers. "Don't cry..." He whispered. He gently kissed her forehead; then he moved away and wiped the tears from her cheeks. His eyes never moved away from hers.  
  
Yuriko forced a humble smile on her lips as she gazed into his eyes. He truly was her savior. "I don't know what I would do without you..." She said softly.  
  
He smiled and ran a finger down her chin. He didn't want to say it, but he felt the same way. Now that he had her in his life, he didn't want to let her go. He gently pulled away from her and walked to Jean's cabinet.  
  
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	41. To see you again

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Next chap is up o!!!! Sorry if this one took a couple of days x.x! Been out of the house a lot lately (doing family shtuff x.x!). Anywayz, thanks so much for everyone's reviews o!!! I really didn't expect this fanfic to go this far, but here it is --- now in chapter 41 and still going strong o! W000T!!! Gotta luv ya guys o!  
  
Cap'n O. Hagan = welcome back o!!! Huhhh....so you're really into 'baddies', eh? lol. Too bad Stryker's not much of a baddie in this one...but it's kewl that you still find him interesting ! Thanks for the review :D!!! btw, he's back in this chapter =)!  
  
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Chapter 41: To see you again  
  
"Are you sure this is okay?" Yuriko asked. She really didn't feel comfortable about borrowing Jean's clothes. It just didn't feel right.  
  
Logan opened Jean's cabinet and looked through her casual clothes. "Jean's one of the most generous people I've ever known." He said softly. "She was so generous, that she sacrificed her own life to save everyone." He could feel his own voice shaking. He didn't want to think about Jean's death anymore. It just bore an unbearable pain in his heart. Then he forced a smile on his lips. "If she were alive right now, she'd lend you anything you need without asking any questions." He took a simple, white, comfortable-looking tanktop and a pair of beige-colored shorts. He closed the Jean's cabinet and turned around to face Yuriko. "Everyone loved her." He said as he looked at her.  
  
Yuriko looked at the pictures on the shelves, and then she looked at Logan and smiled. "I can see that. I just wish I could have met her. She seemed like a great person."  
  
He walked towards Yuriko and handed her the clothes. "She was." He said with a smile. "And if she were here right now, I know she'd welcome you in the school with open arms. Jean's just that kind of person. And you're right. I do miss her."  
  
Yuriko took the clothes from Logan, and she gently ran a hand down his cheek. Her eyes stared deeply into his. "And wherever she is right now, I know she misses you too. She's lucky to have had you in her life, Logan. And I know that when she passed away...when she died to save all of you, you were one of the last things in her mind."  
  
Logan clenched his jaw and looked away. He could barely hold back his tears anymore. When Jean died, he never cried. He felt then pain, but he never shed a single tear. He had seen so many deaths in his life that he was almost used to it. He had accepted the fact that people do die, and that there would be no reason to cry over a person you could never bring back.  
  
But now...now that he was standing in her room...amidst all of her things and her pictures, he just wanted to break down and cry. Everything reminded him so much of her. He even felt as if Jean was standing right next to him like a phoenix rising from the grave. But she was now gone...forever...and he now realized how he truly missed her. He missed Jean so much.  
  
"Logan?" Yuriko asked as he saw Logan's eyes looking at the distance. It was like he didn't even want to look at her.  
  
"There's a bathroom at the end of the hallway." He said monotonously. He could feel something jarring his throat as tears fought to flow from his eyes. "You can change there." He didn't want to look at Yuriko. He didn't want her to see him fighting with his own sadness. "Please go." He whispered. "I...I just need some time alone."  
  
Yuriko held the clothes close to her as she looked at Logan. She knew what he was going through...she could feel his pain boring deep into her own heart. Logan had lost someone he loved. And she could see just how much he loved her by looking at the sadness in his face. It was like a part of him had died. She understood why he needed some time alone, and she respected that.  
  
"I'll see you later, Logan." She said softly.  
  
Logan just nodded, his face still looking away from her.  
  
She slowly exited the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She really wished she could have stayed with him. She didn't want to leave him to drown in his own sorrows. But sometimes, people just need to be alone. Sometimes, it is in solitude where one can reflect on the events that have passed. It is in solitude when we can realize why things happen in our lives and the reason why we keep on living. It is in silence when we truly may discover who we really are.  
  
She looked to the far end of the hallway and saw a door at the very end of it. That was probably the bathroom Logan told her about. She walked to the bathroom, holding Jean's clothes close to her. If she felt like it, she might as well take a nice, long, warm bath to keep herself busy while Logan was away. She respected Logan's decision to be alone, so she wanted to give him enough time to come to terms with Jean's passing.  
  
She opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside. The bathroom itself was spacey and fully furnished. It had a toilet seat, a wide sink with enough flat area for utensils, a mirror, a rack filled with towels, a bathtub, and a shower cubicle made of translucent glass. It also had some sort of intercom device planted on its corner.  
  
Yuriko placed the clothes on the area by the sink, and then she slowly unbuttoned her suit. She slid it off her shoulders, and placed it beside Jean's clothes. The only thing she had on her top was just her bra now. Then she unfastened her slacks, and pulled them down, letting them pool around her feet. She stepped aside and picked it up, and placed it on top of her damp suit. Her hand made its way through her hair and she unfastened the elastic that had kept her hair in a tight ponytail.  
  
She slightly shook her head from side to side, letting her smooth, ebony hair fall over her shoulders and her back. Then she turned towards the mirror and saw her half-naked body staring back at her. She couldn't remember the last time she had truly looked at herself.  
  
For the past decade, she did nothing but serve Stryker...she never had any time, not even a second, for herself and her own body. Her body didn't even feel like hers from the beginning. Stryker owned her body ever since he created her in his underground base. She was nothing but a puppet to him, and her mind a voiceless slave to her own movements. It was only now that she could truly see and feel herself.  
  
She slowly ran her hands over her chest and unclasped the hook of her bra. She slid it off her shoulders, and let it fall on the floor. Then she hooked her thumbs on the waist of her underwear, and pulled it down her thighs. She let gravity do its work as her underwear fell around her feet. She picked up her undergarments from the floor and placed them with her other damp clothing.  
  
Then she looked at the mirror again and saw her naked body. That was her...Yuriko Oyama. That was who she was. Now she knew what she truly looked like. She was a young woman, of Japanese descent, with smooth, black hair and slanted black eyes. Her skin was of a soft tan color...smooth and supple. Her lips were full and red, and her body was lean and well formed.  
  
She closed her eyes and slowly ran her hands all over her body. She had never touched her own body in such a way before. She had never felt the curves of her frame and the smoothness of her skin. She felt so free now. She felt so free from the binds that Stryker had placed upon her. It was her body now. It was hers. She owned it and she finally had control over it. She was Yuriko Oyama.  
  
Then her eyebrows furrowed and she felt a shiver up her spine. Her eyes shot open and she looked at her naked reflection again. She suddenly remembered the feeling of Stryker's touch when he used to run his hands all over her body back when she was his slave. When she was Lady Deathstrike, he performed regular medical checkups on her to ensure that she, his innocent, little puppet, was always in top performing condition.  
  
He would bring her into his lab filled with different kinds of medical apparatus, and that was where he stripped her and inspected every part of her body. She could still remember how his big, rough hands treaded over every curve of her skin...how he prodded her like she was some lifeless object. Every time he did that, she just wanted to scream out loud. She wanted to escape her own body and fly far, far away. Whenever she felt his hands inspecting her, she just wanted to die.  
  
And yet...she couldn't deny one thing. He never ever touched her with malice. Never did he violate her sexuality and innocence. But that was probably because she never was a human to him. He never looked at her as a living, breathing woman. She was just an object...a weapon...a thing that cannot feel and cannot give feelings in return.  
  
Stryker ran into the hallway and then suddenly stopped in his tracks. His chest heaved up and down as deep breaths escaped from his lips. He was definitely too old for all that running. He looked left and right and found no sign of Yuriko and Logan anywhere.  
  
When he saw them walk pass the living room, he tried to catch up with them. He followed them to the elevator, but the elevator had already closed by the time he got there. So he had no choice but to run to the main entrance of the mansion and go up the winding flight of stairs to get to the second floor.  
  
He sighed and looked at the empty hallway again. Where could she be? He saw her walk through that hallway just a second ago. She was even alone. From what he saw, she didn't have anyone with her...not even Logan. Perhaps now was truly the right time to talk to her. He didn't care if she wouldn't listen to him. He just wanted to sit down and talk to her. He wanted to spend some time with her...alone.  
  
Then looked to his right. He saw her walk to that direction a while ago. A few doors lined that side of the hallway, and there was a door at the very end of it. Yuriko could be in any one of those rooms. Either that, or she could have walked back to the other side without him noticing. Then his eyes narrowed as he noticed a faint light seeping through the cracks of the last door. It was the only room that seemed to have an occupant.  
  
Was Yuriko there? What was she doing in that room? Maybe she had decided to get a room of her own. If she did, then he hoped she wouldn't mind if he paid her a little visit. After all, that was his last night in the mansion as the innocent William Stryker. Because once tomorrow ends, he will once again become the man he used to be. And if he saw her again after his permanent transformation, he knew he'd try to hurt her...and not only her, but also everyone else...Rogue, Bobby, Jones, Scott, Logan, Ororo, the professor, and the other students. How could he have turned into such a monster? What caused him to be that way? What was the reason? Did Yuriko have the answers?  
  
He breathed in and looked at the farthest room. It was about time that they had a moment alone...just him and her. He slowly walked towards it. Every step felt so heavy as it pressed against the wooden floor. He could even hear them echoing in the empty hallway. His eyes remained focused on the door as he moved closer and closer to it.  
  
What would he say to her once he saw her again? He hadn't seen her for eight hours, and yet he felt as if he hadn't seen her for a week. Was it because he missed her? What if she didn't want to talk to him? Then he would still try. He would do anything to hear her speak his name. Even if she hurt him to drive him away, he would still stay.  
  
He sharply inhaled and grabbed the doorknob. He was determined to talk to her and that was what he was going to do. His eyes were filled with determination and his jaw was tightly clenched as he quickly pushed the door open. Then he called out her name.  
  
"Yuri---"Then he stopped in mid-word as his eyes opened wide with shock. He felt his lips shaking and his entire body frozen in place as he looked at the sight before him.  
  
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	42. Body and soul

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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CHAPTER 42 IS UP o!!! Thanks for all the reviews o!  
  
Hmmm...RoseMeg, ya know I luv ya, but your guess is a quite far off from what really happened in their pasts ! Sorry ! But don't worry...all will be revealed in due time !  
  
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Chapter 42: Body and soul  
  
Yuriko saw the door open and she impulsively turned to look at it. Her eyes suddenly widened with surprise as she saw Stryker standing in the doorway, in front of her naked, exposed body. She just stood there, unmoving as she stared at him. She knew she should cover herself, but she couldn't move. She seemed to have frozen in place. She wanted to cry out, but her voice jarred in her throat as if she had lost the ability to speak. Stryker had caught her unguarded, and she had no idea what to do. Her mind felt so cloudy. Why didn't she even feel him coming? Why was she just standing there?  
  
Stryker's body didn't move an inch, as he remained standing in the doorway. He knew he had to turn away. He should have closed the door as soon as he saw her naked body. But he just remained standing there, looking at her. What was he doing? Did he like what he was seeing? He wanted to talk to her...not invade her privacy.  
  
Then their eyes met...both of them with shocked looks on their faces. They stood there, staring at each other, unmoving. Every second felt like forever as deafening silence lingered in the air. Neither of them even seemed to breathe. The only thing Stryker could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, as he looked at the naked, fragile woman in front of him. He had never seen anything like her.  
  
The long moment of silence was finally broken by the sound of Stryker's faint whisper. "You are so beautiful." He said softly.  
  
He suddenly snapped out of his trance and he realized what he had just said. He couldn't believe that he had been standing there, looking at her, for almost a full minute. A panicked look formed on his face as he slowly stepped back, his eyes still staring at Yuriko's. And without saying a word, he quickly closed the door in front of him, and ran down the hallway, back to their room.  
  
Yuriko's eyes remained on the door as it closed in front of her. The last thing she heard was the sound of the door closing. Then she suddenly threw herself against the sink and leaned against it, her hands gripping its edges. She felt so sick...like she wanted to throw up. She gasped and forced more air into her mouth. Her bare shoulders moved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn't believe what just happened. She just stood there and let him stare at her. She couldn't even move when she stared into his eyes. It was as if time itself had frozen.  
  
And why did it affect her anyway? Stryker had seen her naked countless of times before. He had even touched her body. Then why was she acting this way? She was acting as if it was his first time to see her like that, naked and exposed. Was it because of the way he was looking at her? She saw it in his eyes. He looked at her with awe. She saw him gaze at her body as if it was the first thing he had ever seen in his entire life. And the words he told her...the words he had spoken still lingered in her mind.  
  
Why did Stryker say that? And why did he look at her the way he did? What was he even doing there in the first place? What did he want from her? She clenched her teeth and looked at the door with piercing eyes. She wasn't going to let that incident pass by as if it never happened. She was going to confront him.  
  
She grabbed her undergarments and quickly put them on. Then she took Jean's clothes from the sink and hurriedly wore them over her body. She didn't want to waste any second. She wanted to confront Stryker now. She wanted to know what was going on in his head and why he said what he said and why he looked at her the way he did. And she was going to get her answers from him even if she had to carve it out of his own flesh.  
  
She pulled the door open and marched down the hallway towards their room. She knew he was there. She could smell him. Her fists were tightly clenched and her eyes filled with flaming intensity as she strode down the corridor, each step bringing her closer to the man who had violated her. She could feel her jaw tightening as she remembered how he looked at her naked body. She felt so disgusted.  
  
Yuriko soon reached the door to their room, and she angrily pushed it open. Deep angry breaths escaped from her lips as she stood in the doorway. The dim light of the room was already on, and her eyes wandered at Stryker's heaving form. There he was...the man who had controlled her body for more than ten years.  
  
His back was facing her, so she couldn't see his face. He was slightly leaning forward with his hands on the table on the far side of the room. His head was bowed down and his shoulders heaved as deep breaths escaped from his lips.  
  
Stryker felt his heart jump when he heard the door swing open. He knew it was her...It was Yuriko. Even without looking at her, he could already feel her intense anger towards him. He could feel her furious eyes boring a hole at the back of his head. And he understood her anger. He knew that what he did was wrong.  
  
He willingly stared at her naked body. He violated her privacy. He didn't mean to barge in on her. He was actually as surprised as she was. But when he saw her naked in front of him, he couldn't find the will to look away. She looked so beautiful, standing there without any clothes covering her perfection. And it just wasn't her body...it was her entire being. Seeing her in her entirety lulled him into a trance. He felt like a moth drawn to the flame, and now he could feel the burn. He should have turned away. He should have closed the door as soon as he saw her like that, but he couldn't. She looked so beautiful that he just had to look at her.  
  
The image of her naked body suddenly flashed in his mind, and he tightly closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side in an effort to wash the image away. He didn't want to think of her in that way. He didn't 'want' her in that way.  
  
Yuriko closed her hands into tight fists as she looked at him. She could feel her fists shaking in anger as she remembered how he looked at her. She would never let him get away for what he did.  
  
She marched towards him with fury in her eyes, and then she grabbed his shoulder and forcefully pulled him so that he was facing her. As soon as his face turned towards her, she pulled her hand back and sent a swift, hard slap towards his cheek.  
  
"You bastard!!!" She shouted as she slapped him. The sound of her palm hitting his cheek echoed in the room. Stryker's head whipped to the side and his glasses flew off his face from the force of Yuriko's slap.  
  
Then he just stood there, with his eyes wide open and his face still turned to the side as he felt the burning pain on his cheek. Yuriko gasped in anger as she pulled her hand away from him. She could see a red, searing mark on where she had slapped him. She knew she hit him too hard. She could still feel the sting of her slap in her own palm. She could still feel the impact of her hand against his cheek. And she enjoyed feeling that stinging sensation. It was proof that she had given him pain. He deserved it.  
  
"Look at me..." She whispered through gritted teeth, her eyes intensely staring at him.  
  
But Stryker remained unmoving. His face still looked away from her. He couldn't find the guts to look at her again. He didn't even know what to say. He wanted to explain to her what really happened in the bathroom. He wanted to tell her that he really didn't mean to see her like that. But it was too late for that now, because he did look at her...and he did stare at her body willingly.  
  
"Why won't you look at me?" She asked with an intense tone in her voice. She wanted to hit him again. The more she looked at him, the more she wanted to hurt him.  
  
Stryker still stood there, looking away from her.  
  
Then she suddenly grabbed him by the chest of his suit and tugged him towards her. "Look at me!!!" She cried out as she gripped his suit tightly.  
  
He felt his body jerk forward as Yuriko pulled him, but he still looked away. He didn't know if he could ever look at her again. He knew that once he looked at her, he would only see the anger in her face and the resentment in her eyes. He would only see her hate towards him. And that would hurt him even more.  
  
When he saw Yuriko and Logan together, he would have done anything to be as physically close to her as he was now. He would have given everything to be alone with her. But now that he was finally alone with her, now that he was so close to her, he couldn't even find the right words to say, or the will to look into her eyes.  
  
"Why can't you look at me now, William?! Why?!" She shouted as she tugged on him harder, causing his head to jerk back. "A while ago you were just staring at my naked body! And now...you can't even look at me, not even a glace. Why, William?!!! Answer me!!!" She couldn't hold back the anger in her voice as she continued to tug on him. But his face remained expressionless.  
  
"Why did you stare at me like that?! What were you trying to prove?! Are you trying to prove that you still own me?!! That you can still look at me and do whatever you want with me as you please?! You don't own me anymore, William!!! I am free of you!" She shouted out loud. She wanted him to hear her. She wanted every word from her mouth to sink deep into his mind. She wanted to engrave her thoughts into his flesh. She wanted him to look at her and see her anger.  
  
"For more than ten years you used my body. You treated me like a puppet! Everyday you stripped me and prodded me like I was a machine that needed repairs!" Her voice echoed in the room. "Do you want to hear everything that you did to me?! Do you want to hear how your hands ran over my curves? Do you want to hear how you inspected every part of my being?! Do you?!"  
  
Stryker clenched his teeth and closed his hands into tight fists as he heard Yuriko's words. Every word that flew from her lips hit him hard. Each and every one of them showed him an image of his past. He saw flashes of what he did to her. He saw himself, looking at her naked body...touching it...examining it. And her face was expressionless as he did. She looked so lifeless. He saw it all in his mind as Yuriko reminded him. It felt like a living nightmare and he didn't want to see it anymore. He wanted it all to stop.  
  
Then he turned his head to look at her. Yuriko felt her chest tighten as she saw him staring deeply into her eyes.  
  
"I didn't mean to look at you like that. I really didn't." He said softly as he looked into her eyes. "I...I didn't even know that you...you were undressed." He wasn't even sure how to explain himself. He just hoped she would understand.  
  
Yuriko clenched her jaw as she stared back into his eyes. She didn't know if she should believe him or not. After all, she saw him staring at her. She saw him looking at her body. "Then what did you want from me?!" She asked through gritted teeth. She wanted to hear the answers directly from his lips.  
  
Stryker exhaled and looked away, then he looked at her again. "Because I wanted to see you again. I mean, not in the way I saw you of course. I mean..." His eyes darted from left to right as he tried to think of the right words to say.  
  
She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. She couldn't even read what was going on in his mind. He looked so lost and defenseless. He couldn't even talk straight. What was going on in his head? Then his eyes suddenly focused on her. She could feel the intensity of his stare as he looked into her eyes.  
  
"What I'm trying to say is that...I wanted to talk to you." He felt so fragile, so unarmed as he told her those words. "I missed you, Yuriko." He said firmly. He was now at her mercy as he poured out his heart on her.  
  
Yuriko's eyes widened as she heard his words. She couldn't believe what he had just said. Why did he say those things to her? What was he trying to say? Then she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Something didn't feel right. She didn't like how he was looking at her and how he was talking to her. Her anger towards Stryker was suddenly replaced by fear. She felt so suffocated in his presence. She had to get away.  
  
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	43. Reset

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Whoa!!! Some reviewers want Stryker dead, while the others want to know about his relationship with Yuriko in the past O.O!!! (Eheheh...too bad I can't kill Stryker off, since he's really one of the major players in this fanfic .!). Well, here's Chap 43 =D! I hope you all like it =D! Once again, I'm sorry if my updates have been rather slow lately x.x! I'm starting school again and I've been busy with lots of offline shtuff too x.x!  
  
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Chapter 43: Reset  
  
She looked at him with horror as she took a step back, her hands slowly slipping away from his suit. She could feel her lips shaking as she continued to stare at him. Then she slowly walked backwards towards the door. She had to get out of the room, before...  
  
Stryker walked towards her and gently grabbed her shoulders. "Don't go...Please." He said with a pleading tone in his voice. "Don't leave me. I need you. I need you now more than ever." His begging eyes looked at her, pleading for her to stay.  
  
Yuriko quickly pulled her shoulders away from his hands. Feeling his touch sent shivers up her spine. She didn't like how Stryker was acting at the moment. She had never seen him act this way before.  
  
"What do you want from me?!" She asked with an irritated tone in her voice.  
  
He stepped towards her and slowly reached out to touch her arm. "I just want you to stay." He said softly. "I want you to stay and talk to me. Please. Just talk to me. That's all I'm asking from you, Yuriko. I just want to talk."  
  
"There is nothing to talk about, William!" She shouted. "We have nothing to talk about." She said firmly. She took another step away from him and felt her back against the door. She was now trapped between him and freedom. "Just let me go." She said softly.  
  
Then he gently wrapped his hand around her arm. "Yuriko, please...Try to understand. This is my last night as me." He emphasized the word 'me'. "This is my last night as the man who's standing right in front of you." He could feel his voice shaking as he talked to her. He wanted her to stay. He wanted her to hear him out. "I will never be this way again, Yuriko. And I want you to know me as who I am now right now. I want you to remember me this way."  
  
Yuriko gritted her teeth as she angrily stared back at him. "I suggest you find another person, William." She said monotonously. She didn't want to fall into another one of his sympathy traps. "Because I already know you all too well. There is nothing more I need to know."  
  
"But there is!" He said imposingly. He gripped her arm tighter. "You still don't know me. You still don't know who I am." He said as he pointed to himself. "I just want you to know me, Yuriko. Please. Just this one night. Then after this, do to me as you please. Hurt me, kill me, I don't care. All I'm asking, is for you to know me better."  
  
Yuriko looked into his eyes. She didn't want to admit it, but she could see the sincerity in them. His eyes and the expression on his face, reminded her so much of the young Stryker she saw in her vision. He reminded her so much of the Stryker she had lost together with her past. And perhaps that young man has come back. He has finally come back after being away for so long. And it was about time that he did, because a part of her, did want to know who he was.  
  
Stryker gently unwrapped his hand from her arm, and moved it back down on his side. And he stood there as his eyes continued to stare at her, waiting for an answer. If she decided to leave, then he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. If that were going to be her decision, then he would respect that.  
  
The moment of silence between them seemed to last forever as they stared into each other's eyes. They looked like two chess players anticipating each other's next move. Yuriko still didn't know what to do. She knew Stryker was telling the truth. She felt no deception in each and every word that he had spoken. She could feel the sincerity in his voice. But she didn't want to give in to him. Because once she knew the man he was now, once she gets to know him better, she might get hurt once he goes away. She might get hurt if he disappears the way he did many, many years ago.  
  
Stryker couldn't stand the silence any longer. He had to know her answer. "You don't even have to forgive me. I know you will never forgive me for the things I had done. But please talk to me --- anything --- you don't even have to like me, just ---."  
  
"You're right." Yuriko said coldly. "I will never forgive you. I can never forgive you for what you did to me, and the others." Then she paused and took a step towards him. "But if you really aren't the Stryker I knew, if you really are a different person...then prove it. Tell me who you are now." She said as she looked into his eyes. She had given in to his request. She didn't want to appear weak, but a part of her wanted to know who he was. When she looked into his eyes, she saw the young Stryker there. He was still there and she wanted him back. She wanted to see him again.  
  
Stryker felt his entire body relax as he heard her words. She was going to give him a chance. She was going to talk to him. But what would he say to her now? Who was he? He felt as if he had only lived for the past two days. Were two days enough to tell him who he really was?  
  
He breathed in and looked away. He still didn't know what to say to her. Then he looked at her again. Yes...he would introduce himself to her. He would introduce himself to her as if they've just met. He wanted to start from the beginning.  
  
"Hi." He said softly as a humble smile curled up his lips. His eyes looked at Yuriko as if it was their very first time to see her face. He looked at her with so much virginity, as if they hadn't known each other for the past fourteen years. He wanted to meet her and look at her and talk to her for the very first time.  
  
"I would like to introduce myself to you." He breathed in and stood up straight like a proud gentleman who wanted to impress a new female acquaintance. "My name...is William Stryker." He had to start with his name. He hated saying it as much as he hated hearing it from her lips because it reminded him so much of the man he used to be. But every introduction had to start with a name...and whether he liked it or not, that was his.  
  
"I know my name sounds familiar to your ears, and my face looks familiar to your eyes." He said, as he looked deep into hers. "But I believe this is the first time...that we've ever truly met." Tonight was the night when he was going to be the William Stryker she never knew. And he wanted her to be the Yuriko Oyama he had never met.  
  
Yuriko looked breathless as she stared at Stryker. He was right...his face really did look familiar to her. But it didn't remind her of the William Stryker who had hurt her for more than a decade. His face reminded her of the young and vibrant William Stryker in her vision. He reminded her of the boy who used to laugh with her...the young man who used to be her friend. And the more she looked at him, the more she saw the young Stryker who she thought had been long gone.  
  
Stryker knew he sounded stupid, introducing himself to her as if she didn't know who he was, but he couldn't think of the right things to say about himself. But this was his only chance to talk to Yuriko as a new person and he didn't want to waste any more precious time. He had to make use of this one last night to tell her as much as he can about himself, as the man he was now.  
  
He clenched his fists and breathed in, then he stared deeply into her eyes. "I apologize if I won't be able to say much about myself. But I will try...I will try to tell you as much as I can about me, so that you'd get to know me better. Then perhaps we can be friends, yes?" Oh great. Now he was starting to talk like Kurt. But then, Kurt was one of the people he had met in the past two days, and that would be enough to say that Kurt had somehow affected his life. Spending those few minutes with the blue man had made him realize the true importance of friendship, trust and generosity.  
  
Yuriko narrowed her eyes as she looked at him curiously. The more he talked, the more she wanted to know about him. Now she was the one drawn to his mystery...the strange side of him that she feared was now the one drawing her to him.  
  
"Then who are you, William?" She asked softly.  
  
"I am..." He still didn't know what to say. His eyes looked empty as he stared at her. Then he looked away and pursed his lips. He seemed deep in thought. Then he exhaled and looked back at her again. He was determined to tell her who he was. "I am a man who likes peanut butter." Then his eyes opened wide when he realized what he had just said. Talk about sounding dumb. Well at least it was one of those things that he was sure about himself.  
  
Yuriko arched an eyebrow as she looked back at him. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Who was she talking to? A seven year-old boy? He had forced her to stay with him to talk about peanut butter?  
  
He saw the look on Yuriko's face and he knew that he had to say something else before Yuriko thought that he was not worth knowing. "But I like eating it off the spoon...unlike Rogue who eats it with bread." Then he cringed after he realized that he was still talking about peanut butter. He had to think of something else.  
  
"And I hate teleporting..." He added. "I like Mr. Wagner, but teleporting...makes me feel sick, so...so I don't like it. And uh," He ran his fingers through his hair. What else could he say? "And um, I like long car rides. And I really hate it when you read a story and the hero dies in the end. Because it's unfair, you know. You read it and in the end, it's just a sad ending. Then you regret reading it in the first place." He forced a smile on his lips as he looked at her.  
  
Then he remembered his encounter with Jones. "And I think that the world's best philosophers are children. Because they see things not as they are, but what they could be. And um, I hate stitches because they really hurt." He said with a smile as he pointed at his forehead.  
  
Yuriko couldn't believe what she was seeing. The man in front of her really looked so much like the Stryker in her vision. He reminded her so much of him...the smile, the innocence, especially the smile. Has he really come back? Was she able to bring back one of the people from her past that she thought was long gone?  
  
"I also know..." He looked at her and sighed. "That you can't always have what you want. That life isn't as perfect as you want it to be. Things can't always come out the way you expect them to. But that doesn't mean that we have to stop living. Because we have to live. It's the only way that we can try to make things right." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "And that's who I am. That's the man I am. All that. Nothing more, nothing less."  
  
She looked at him and stared deeply into his eyes. She knew who he was. He was the friend she had lost. And he truly has come back. She stepped towards him and her eyes wandered at his face. He looked so old, but she could still see the man she saw in her vision. He was still there underneath the layers of time that have withered his face.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide with surprise when he saw Yuriko move closer to him. She was practically right in front of his face. And there was something different in the way she was looking at him right now. He had never seen that look in her eyes before. For the very first time, she looked at him without any hint of contempt and anger. She looked at him as if he wasn't the man who had hurt her for the past fourteen years. This time, she looked at him as if he was a dear friend.  
  
A happy sigh escaped from Yuriko's lips as she looked at his face. She couldn't believe that after all those years, the young William Stryker from her past had finally returned. Logan was wrong when he told her that she could never bring the past back, because she was able to bring an old friend back. And he was standing right in front of her right now, looking at her with those same, innocent, blue eyes she had seen in her vision.  
  
She didn't want to show it, but she couldn't wait to know him again. She wanted to rediscover the young man who used to be her friend. She wanted to rediscover the William Stryker she thought she had lost. She wanted to know him as she had known him before in her past. And she was determined to spend as much time with him as she could, before the sun comes up and takes him away from her again.  
  
She stepped away from him and grinned. "And my name is Yuriko Oyama." She said with a smile on her face. If Stryker wanted to start from the beginning, then she would start from the beginning too. She extended her hand towards him for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, William." She said softly. "Welcome back."  
  
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	44. Meet an old friend for the very first ti...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Here's chapter 44 =D! To those who are used to Stryker being an evil bastard, now you'll have to get used to him being a not-so-evil bastard! Lol! JK! Anyway, you might find Stryker and Yuriko's interaction in this chapter (and probably in the next few chapters) rather "weird" and "awkward"...but as I've stated before, everything will be revealed once Yuriko regains her past. So as for now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show =D! Thanks for the reviews =D!  
  
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Chapter 44: Meet an old friend for the very first time  
  
An innocent smile curled up Stryker's lips as he looked at her. It was the very first time he had ever seen her smile at him. He never thought he'd see the day when she would look at him and be happy. Perhaps he was wrong when he thought that she could never treat him the way she had treated Logan. Because now she was smiling at him, and he was smiling at her, and the night was still so young for the two of them.  
  
His eyes were so entranced by her smile that he had almost forgotten about her hand. He breathed in and shook her hand enthusiastically. "And it's such a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Oyama." His eyes stared deeply into hers as he shook her hand.  
  
He still couldn't believe what was happening between them. Everything felt so perfect, so unreal, and yet so familiar. When he saw Logan and Yuriko by the pool, he felt as if he had seen himself with her in that way before. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should have been the one by her side. He felt as if Logan was playing the role that he should have been playing. But none of that mattered to him now. She was finally with him, and he wanted nothing more, but to make it all last forever.  
  
They both put their hands back on their sides as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Neither of them said a word as they waited for the other to say something. Both of them felt like complete strangers. They smiled at each other, and then they looked away, feeling awkward at the silence that lingered between them.  
  
Then they both looked at each other again, as if they were about to say something. But once they stared into each other's eyes, the words they were supposed to say suddenly disappeared behind their lips as if they had lost their ability to speak.  
  
/"Say something to her."/ Stryker thought to himself. /"Anything."/  
  
He continued to look at her as he thought of the right words to say. With the way she was looking at him, she was expecting him to say something. After all, he was the one who wanted to talk. But the more he looked at her, the more he felt tongue-tied.  
  
She just looked so beautiful. She looked more beautiful now than she had ever been before, and her beauty simply took his breath away. He felt like a fifteen-year-old boy standing in front of a high school crush. Then he suddenly realized how he was thinking about her and he immediately closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side. How could he even think of her in such a way? He only wanted to be her friend. And Yuriko looked half his age. To even think of her in such a way would be wrong.  
  
Yuriko couldn't help but smile as she saw Stryker's display. She had never seen him act in such a way before. He looked so shy, so innocent, and so young underneath his old and withered facade. She also couldn't deny the fact that whenever she looked at him, she saw an image of the younger Stryker in her mind.  
  
"William?" She asked softly as she looked at him. If he wasn't going to say anything, then she would.  
  
Stryker suddenly straightened himself as he heard Yuriko's voice. "Yes?" He asked as he looked at her. What did she want from him now?  
  
She smiled and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tense up as she touched him. "Relax." She whispered as she looked into his eyes. "I'm not going to bite...and I'm not going to scratch either." She said with a joking tone in her voice.  
  
For the first time in her life, she looked at him and did not feel the urge to make him suffer. She finally realized that the man standing right in front of her, the man she had found by the lake two days ago, was really not the William Stryker who had enslaved her. He wasn't the same heartless Stryker who desired to destroy the entire world's mutant population. This man was a completely different person, and he did not deserve to suffer for the sins he did not commit. In fact, he needed a chance to live.  
  
He looked back into her eyes and a wide grin formed on his lips. How could he have been such a fool? He didn't have to say the perfect words. He didn't even have to be the perfect man. He just had to be himself. And the only words that he needed to say were the ones that he wanted to say to her. They didn't have to be special or well thought-out. They just had to come from him. Yuriko was right. He truly did need to relax.  
  
He gave out a small laugh and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked back at her. Yuriko put her hand back down to her side and laughed as she stared into his eyes. Both of them just stared at each other, laughing at how awkward they have both been acting. Despite the fact that they have been together for the past fourteen years, it was only now that they were able to meet each other. And they still had so much to discover.  
  
"Look..." He finally said, a wide smile still on his face. "I'm really sorry if...if I'm acting...you know, um...aloof right now. It's just that everything feels so awkward. I mean, don't get me wrong. I...I like how we're talking right now, it's just that---"  
  
"It's all right." She said, cutting him off mid-sentence. She smiled and nodded at him. "I know what you mean. After all, we...really haven't been in good terms these past two days." She didn't want to admit it, but she too felt somewhat shy in the presence of this new Stryker. She felt like she was meeting an old friend for the very first time.  
  
Stryker raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yeah, we really weren't the best of friends, were we?" He asked with a smile. "And I really can't blame you...for uh, treating me the way you did." He smirked and sighed. "Because that other guy..." He said as he pointed to himself. "Really sounded like such a bastard." He said with a tone of disgust in his voice. He was referring to his former self...the man he used to be, and the man he would be again once he regained all of his memories. But for now, that other man was dead.  
  
Yuriko arched an eyebrow and nodded. "He was." Then he stepped towards Stryker and poked him on the chest. "But you killed him." She said with a smile.  
  
Stryker snickered and looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "Yes. I did." He said with a proud smile on his face. Then he stepped backwards and patted his chest. "And now I'm just me." He looked at her with his chin tilted up like a proud man. "Plain old William Stryker. Born two days ago on the shores of Alkali Lake in the cold mountainous regions of the British Columbia, where I was found by ---"  
  
"---A woman with retractable adamantium claws." Yuriko said with a smile as she folded her arms over her chest. Their eyes met, and their smiles turned into humble laughter. They looked like two stupid adults laughing about the good old days.  
  
Then Yuriko's laughter subsided into a soft smile as she looked at the laughter on Stryker's face. He really looked so much like the younger Stryker in her vision. She felt as if she was looking at the exact same young Stryker right now. It was as if he never changed, as if he never left. Despite his older face, he still had the same smile, the same laugh, and the same young, blue eyes that were accented by his strong, dark eyebrows.  
  
She could still remember how he looked in her vision...so young and handsome and happy. She never thought she'd see that face again. But now, there he was, standing right in front of her, the way he did, many decades ago. Though time could never give him back his youth, it could still give him the chance to regain the early past he had left behind...even if that chance would only last for one night...just for tonight.  
  
Stryker noticed Yuriko looking at him and he stopped laughing. "What?" He asked with a sly, inquisitive smile on his lips. "You're staring at me in that way again." He said as he pointed at her. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked.  
  
Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise as Stryker's eyes met hers, snapping her out of her trance. She didn't even realize that she was staring at him until he pointed it out. It's just that time seemed to have frozen while she was looking at him.  
  
Then she suddenly felt her cheeks flushing. She couldn't believe that she was actually blushing...towards Stryker?! "Oh, no." She said with her eyebrows raised as she looked at him. "I mean, no, you don't have anything on your face." She said with an embarrassed smile on her lips. Now she was the one acting aloof. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the fact that he caught her staring at his face.  
  
"You look fine." She said softly.  
  
"Why thank you." He said with a smile.  
  
Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuriko, and then he looked around the room. Something didn't look right. He moved his hand over his eyes and noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore. He remembered that Yuriko had knocked it off his face when she slapped him. He could even still feel the lingering sting of her slap on his cheek.  
  
"I...uh, seemed to have lost my glasses." He said as he looked at her.  
  
Yuriko knew that she was the one responsible. Her eyes wandered to the big, red, mark on Stryker's cheek where her adamantium-framed hand had slapped him earlier. She knew she had slapped him too hard...harder than he deserved, but she was just so angry with him. She was so angry at the fact that he voluntarily gawked at her naked body.  
  
But now, the bathroom incident didn't anger her anymore. It was one of those occurrences that she would rather forgive and forget. After all, he really didn't mean to barge into the bathroom in the first place. And she too was irresponsible for not locking the door. It was as much as her fault as his.  
  
"By the way..." She said, with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry about that." She pointed at Stryker's searing cheek.  
  
"Oh." He said with his eyebrows raised. He was quite surprised that Yuriko had apologized to him. For the past two days, she had hurt him so many times in so many different ways, and she had never apologized to him even once...until now.  
  
Then he smiled as he looked back at her. "You mean this?" He asked as he pointed at his cheek. "Nah. Don't worry about it." He said softly. "It was my fault anyway. I should have knocked before I...I...you know..." He really didn't know how to explain what he did. He felt embarrassed just by thinking about it.  
  
"Yeah...yeah, I know..." Yuriko said abruptly. "Let's just forget about it, okay? Let's all just pretend that it never happened." She said with a smile.  
  
"Okay." He nodded his head. He also wanted to forget that it happened. He wanted to forget ever seeing her naked body.  
  
But every time he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of her naked body in his mind. It was as if her bare body had been tattooed in his brain. He could still see the contour of her form, the smoothness of her skin and the fullness of her figure. And it didn't help that she was now standing an arm's reach away from him, wearing her little tanktop and shorts. The view was just too much for him.  
  
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	45. Clarity

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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W00T!!! Chapter 45 is finally up =D!!! Thanks for the wonderful reviews, everyone =D! I'm actually glad that you find this new 'charater' aka the 'young' Stryker (yet still old, though technically, him and Yuriko are of the same age) rather interesting. Anyway, kewl to know you're enjoying the story, 'Rose goes GRR' =D! I hope you like this new chapter as much as you liked the previous ones =D!  
  
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Chapter 45: Clarity  
  
He suddenly felt his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at her. Her white tanktop exposed her smooth, tan shoulders and it emphasized the curves of her torso. Her shorts wrapped snuggly around her hips and revealed too much of her firm, well-shaped legs. He really couldn't deny how beautiful she looked. But then, he shouldn't even be looking at her in that way. He had to stop. It wasn't right and he wasn't that kind of man. He had to look away.  
  
"As for your glasses..." She said, breaking the silence.  
  
Stryker almost felt his heart jump when he heard Yuriko's voice. For a second there, he thought that she had caught him looking at her. Perhaps it was a good thing that Yuriko had spoken. If she hadn't, he might have stared at her longer, and she really might have caught him looking at her. The last thing he wanted was for Yuriko to think that he 'yearned' for her in that kind of 'perverse' way.  
  
She placed her hands on her waist and searched the floor with her eyes. The room wasn't really that big, so if it had fallen on the floor, she would have already seen it by now. Then she looked at him. "...It probably slipped under your bed. Either that, or it slipped under mine." She said matter-of-factly.  
  
He looked at her and clasped his hands together. "Well, then I'll go look for it right now." He said with a smile.  
  
"Okay. You go look under your bed, and I'll go look under mine." She said as she motioned her hand towards her bed. She walked to the side of her bed and went down on her hands on knees. She lifted the covers that draped over its side and started to search underneath it. She had to get down on her elbows to be able to fit her upper body in there. "It's pretty dark in here." She said as she looked for his glasses.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide when he saw Yuriko in such a position. While most of her upper body was under the bed, her legs were left out in the open. And if there was one thing he noticed, it was that her shorts were really 'too' short from where he was standing. Why did she even have to wear something like that?  
  
/"Stop looking!"/ He thought to himself. /"Turn around!"/  
  
"Is it under your bed?!" She shouted as she continued to look under her bed. "I think it's not under mine."  
  
He quickly turned around and walked towards his bed. "Um...I'm going to look for it now." He shouted back at her.  
  
He quickly unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it off his shoulders. It was the only suit he had and he didn't want it to get dirty. He placed the jacket on his bed, and then he quickly slipped the tie off his neck and flung it over his suit. Then he unbuttoned the two topmost buttons of his polo shirt and quickly rolled his sleeves up. He definitely felt more comfortable now. Those formal clothes made him feel constrained and suffocated.  
  
He carefully went down on his hands and knees and lifted the cover that draped over the side of his bed. Yuriko was right. It really was quite dark in there. He went down on his elbows and searched underneath the bed. He extended his hand and felt the area for any signs of his glasses. He could barely see anything due to his poor eyesight, and the darkness didn't help either.  
  
"Yeah...It's not under mine." Shouted Yuriko from under her bed. "It must really be under yours." She took one last look in the area, and then slowly crawled out of it.  
  
Stryker searched further under his bed and he suddenly felt his hand run over something solid. He clasped his hand around the object and instantly knew that it was his glasses. "Finally." He whispered under his breath.  
  
He brought his glasses close to his face and carefully ran his fingers over the lenses, wiping some of the dust away. Their room was actually one of the rooms that had just been repaired, which would explain the excessive amount of dust under their beds. He wore the glasses over his eyes and once again had a perfect, twenty-twenty vision...though he really couldn't see much of a difference from underneath the bed.  
  
"You found it!" Said a familiar voice.  
  
Stryker suddenly looked to his side and his eyes opened wide with surprise as he saw Yuriko right beside him under his bed. "Yuriko!" He shouted. His entire upper body suddenly jerked up and his head hit the railing that supported the mattress of his bed from underneath. "Ow!!!" He cried out in agony as he felt his newly stitched forehead hit the railing hard.  
  
He shifted himself and fell on the floor on his back, with most of his upper body still underneath the bed. A look of intense agony could clearly be seen on his face and his eyes were closed tight from the throbbing pain. His chest heaved up and down as quick breaths escaped from his gritted teeth. He placed a hand over his head injury and was careful not to touch it too hard. "Oh God...Oh that hurts." He groaned. He continued to wince in pain as he felt the raw, aching sensation on his newly stitched cut.  
  
Yuriko's eyes opened wide when she saw what happened to him. Stryker was practically right next to her when he hit his head. And from the looks of it, he hit his head really hard. She even heard the impact of his skull hitting the railing. "Oh my God are you okay?!" She asked with a panicked, worried tone in her voice. She moved closer to him and placed a hand over his chest. "William?" She asked. She could still see him wincing in pain, and his eyes were still closed.  
  
His eyes slowly opened into narrow slits and he looked at her. "Are you sure you're not trying to kill me?" He muttered with a joking tone in his voice. He could barely talk from the intense pain that was throbbing in his skull.  
  
She sighed and smiled back at him. "If I really wanted to kill you, then I could have at least chosen a more spacious location. I don't think killing someone under the bed is that dramatic." She said with her eyebrows raised. Then she gave out a humble laugh.  
  
Stryker forced a smile upon his lips as he looked at her. Then he suddenly noticed how close she was to him. Her hand was on his chest and her face was only a couple of inches away from his. After all, the space underneath the bed wasn't vertically high enough for two people to move about comfortably.  
  
He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at her. She was definitely too close for comfort. He could almost feel her breath against his face. Then his eyes glanced down at her body. Because of how she was leaning on her elbow, her loose tanktop hung from her chest with its plunging neckline innocently exposing the cleavage of her bosom. He quickly moved his eyes away from her body, but he felt his heart beating faster and harder than before. Why did he keep on getting into situations like this?  
  
"So, are you all right?" She asked curiously. "Your heart's beating really fast. Are you sure you're okay?" She gently pressed her hand against his chest. She could really feel his heart pounding in his ribcage as if he had just run for a full hour.  
  
Stryker's entire body tensed up as he felt her hand pressing against his chest. The feeling of her fingers against him sent shivers up his spine. Their physical closeness, her touch, her voice, her face, and the view of her body was definitely too much for him to handle.  
  
His eyes opened wide and then he smiled at her. "Okay. I'm fine now." He said with a happy smile on his face. He couldn't take the atmosphere any longer. He had to get out of there before he thought of her in a way that he didn't want to think of her.  
  
He quickly moved himself from underneath the bed, and then immediately stood up and brushed himself off. He could still feel the stinging sensation in his forehead, but that was the least of his concerns now.  
  
/"Damn you, William!"/ He thought to himself.  
  
Yuriko crawled out from under the bed and stood up. She brushed herself off and straightened her clothing, and then she looked at him and smiled. "Well, if you say you're fine, then I guess you are." She said with her eyebrows raised. Then she stepped towards him and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That is your body after all." She looked at the bandage on Stryker's forehead. "Though if I were you, I'd have Ororo check your stitches really quick, just to be sure."  
  
Then the smile on her lips suddenly faded. Her eyes opened wide and she quickly stepped away from him. Her eyes looked so empty, as if she was staring at something that wasn't there. She looked like she had just seen a ghost pass right in front of her face.  
  
"Yuriko?" Stryker asked, with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
But Yuriko didn't respond. She neither moved nor looked at him. She just stood there, with her wide, open, empty eyes...as she had another glimpse of her past.  
  
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It was the three of them again...her, Logan and the young Stryker. She found it odd that she had never had a vision with just her and Logan. Stryker always seemed to be there, tipping the scale like a foreign force. Like her previous visions, this too was void of any sound. It also played like a silent movie in her mind...a silent movie that felt so real and vivid, as if she could reach out and feel everything against her skin.  
  
The three of them seemed to be in some sort of training hall. Each side of the spacious room had shelves and racks filled with different kinds of weapons. One wall was filled with guns, the other wall was filled with swords and other close-range armaments, and the other side of the wall had long-range hand weapons. The room was definitely well equipped with almost every kind of artillery.  
  
All of them looked like they had just finished some intense physical training. She saw herself wearing a tight-fitting gray tanktop that went down to her chest, and gray cycling shorts that looked snug around her thighs. As for Logan and William, both of them wore nothing on their top, except for the dogtags that hung around their necks. They were both wearing jogging pants and Stryker had his glasses on his face...those same glasses.  
  
She saw herself walk towards Logan and wrap her arms around his neck. And Logan wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. Both of them had gentle smiles on their lips, as they looked deep into each other's eyes. She could almost feel his sweaty chest and muscular physique against her skin as she saw herself and Logan together like that. Then she saw their lips moving. They were talking to each other. As always, she heard none of their words, not even a faint whisper. What were they talking about? Were they really in love before? Were they?  
  
Then she saw the young Stryker...He...he was looking at them and he had a gun on each hand. She really couldn't really tell what kind of guns they were, for her vision became blurry when it showed her unimportant things. He smirked and then walked towards the gun rack. He had a disgruntled look on his face as he carelessly put the guns back in their appropriate place. He didn't look happy at all.  
  
Her vision suddenly drifted back to her and Logan. Their arms were still wrapped around each other's bodies and their eyes were still locked in each other's gaze. Then he slowly moved his face closer to hers...and he gently kissed her on the lips. It was a brief kiss, but it was a kiss nonetheless. They really were in love before. She could see it in their eyes. They really were in love in the past.  
  
They both smiled and Logan gently pulled away from her. His lips moved again, and so did hers. What were they saying now? Then Logan looked at Stryker and called out to him. Stryker turned around and said something back to Logan. She wished she could hear what they were saying. The two men laughed and Logan gave Stryker a small salute. Then he looked back at her again with those tender, loving, and piercing eyes. His lips moved as he said something to her.  
  
She saw herself smile back at Logan. Then he smiled back at her. He turned around and walked to the entrance of the training hall. He turned his head to smile at her for the last time, and then he went out of the hall, leaving her and Stryker alone.  
  
Then the two of them, her and Stryker, were left standing there, staring at each other for what seemed like forever. She still couldn't believe how different he looked in his younger years...that strong face, those sharp blue eyes, and his brown hair that swept over his thick eyebrows. She didn't want to admit it, but he was a rather good-looking young man. His physique was different too. His body wasn't as muscular as Logan's, but he had the body of an athlete...tall, lean and well formed. She couldn't imagine how this young man had turned into the old William Stryker she had known.  
  
The Yuriko in her vision smiled at Stryker and she walked towards him. She stood in front of him and stared deeply into his eyes. Her lips moved and then she laughed. She was saying something to him. Then Stryker sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He placed his hands on his waist and arched an eyebrow as he looked back at Yuriko.  
  
She arched an eyebrow back at him and smirked in a taunting way. What was going on between the two of them? What were they talking about? Then she laughed and suddenly snatched the glasses off his face. He shouted in protest, and Yuriko took a few steps back and teasingly dangled his glasses by the edge of her fingers. She was laughing as she did. What in the world were they doing?  
  
Stryker laughed and walked towards Yuriko. He was talking as he approached her. Then as soon as he was an arm's reach away from her, he moved his hand forward in an attempt to snatch his glasses off her hand. But as soon as he did, Yuriko quickly moved her hand behind her back and took another step away. She smiled and winked at him.  
  
A sly grin formed on Stryker's lips as he glared at her. He quickly walked towards her and tried to snatch his glasses from behind her back, but Yuriko was able to avoid him with ease. He tried again, and again, but she was able to evade his every move, stepping back whenever he get closer. They were both laughing as they tried to out-maneuver each other. And from the looks of it, Yuriko had the upper hand. Though he was taller, she was more agile and faster than him.  
  
He suddenly had a determined look on his face as he watched her movements. He spun around and sent a low kick towards Yuriko's ankle. Yuriko yelped as she fell backwards on the floor. As soon as she hit the floor, Stryker quickly got on top of her and pinned her arms on the ground. His dogtag dangled from his neck and gently brushed against her chest. He arched an eyebrow and grinned as he stared at her, and she stared back at him and smiled. Then he said something, and the two of them started laughing again.  
  
He turned his head to look Yuriko's hand. She was still holding on to his glasses. He moved his hand away from her arm and reached out to take his glasses from her. But as soon as he let go of her arm, Yuriko quickly rolled him over and pinned him down so that she was now the one on top. She looked down at him and grinned in a taunting way. He tried to struggle, but Yuriko held his arms down on the floor without any difficulty. Then he stopped struggling, and they just stared at each other. Neither of them even moved. They just stared. Then Yuriko slowly moved her face closer to his and...  
  
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"Yuriko!!!" Shouted a familiar voice.  
  
Yuriko's eyes opened wide and she saw the face of the older Stryker looking at her. She was finally back in the present. She could feel her heart beating so fast in her chest, while quick, rugged breaths escaped from her lips. She felt like a person who had just been pulled out of the water. She looked around and found herself lying down on her bed, with Stryker seated right next to her. He had a panicked, worried look on his face.  
  
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	46. Back to reality

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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Hmmm...so far, no one has really guessed what happened in their pasts =D! (which is good, of course. We need to keep the suspense and mystery going. Lol!). And just to answer one of the questions in the reviews, Yuriko didn't 'cheat' on 'whoever' (aaah! kind of a spoiler, eh? ;))! Aaah...you'll all see once she regains her memories ;)! As for now, here's chapter 46 =D!  
  
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Chapter 46: Back to reality  
  
"Thank God you're awake!" He said with a relieved tone in his voice. "I...I was really worried about you." There was concern in his eyes as he looked at her.  
  
She looked at him, and then she breathed in and slowly closed her eyes. She could feel herself calming down now. She gently shifted her head against the pillow and surrendered to the comfort and softness of the bed's cushion against her back. Then she remembered her vision. She remembered how real it felt...how vivid it was. She could still see its images lingering in her head, reminding her of every detail.  
  
That vision was able to prove something to her. It was able to prove that she and Logan were truly once in love. That in the past, they really were together, not just as friends, or as teammates, but as lovers. She could still remember the way he kissed her. She could still recall the way his lips pressed against hers, and the feeling of his strong arms around her waist and the way his eyes stared into her eyes, and how he held her so close. He really did love her. There was love there and she didn't doubt it.  
  
Then she remembered the younger Stryker. She remembered how he looked at her and how he laughed with her and how he pinned her down on the floor. She remembered his face and his smile and his body. In her mind, she could still see how he stared into her eyes when she pinned him down...and how she moved closer to him to...to what? What was she about to do in the vision right when it ended?  
  
"Yuriko?" Stryker whispered as he gently placed his hand over her arm. She looked so peaceful, just lying there with her eyes closed. She looked so relaxed and content.  
  
She opened her eyes and slowly sat up on the bed. Then she looked at him, her eyes staring deeply into his. She couldn't shake the feeling that she and Stryker also had some kind of relationship in the past. She knew they were friends, but she felt as if they had something more. In her recent vision, she looked at him as if he was someone she could have cared for...someone she could have have, but never did. What happened? What happened between her and Logan? What happened between her and Stryker? What tore the three of them apart?  
  
The more she looked at Stryker, the more she wanted to discover the answers to those questions. She still couldn't understand how they became who they were now. Why did their lives end up like that? If Stryker truly did care for her in the past, then why did he enslave her? Why did he torture her and hurt her the way he did? What caused him to turn out that way? And Logan...if he really did love her, then why did he leave? Why did he leave her behind? What happened to the love they once had?  
  
"I was really worried, you know." He said softly as he looked at her. "For a while there I thought I was going to lose you. I don't know why I felt that way, but...but I just did."  
  
Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows. "Why? What happened to me?" She asked curiously. The only thing she could remember was her vision. When it started to play in her head, it was the only thing she could see and feel. She couldn't even feel her own body. It was like her vision deadened all of her physical senses and lulled her into a dream-like state.  
  
"The last thing I remember was me, talking to you." She said. "We were standing over there..." She looked at the middle of the room where they were standing right before she had her vision. "And then...and then after that...I...I really can't remember. The next thing I know, I was up here on the bed. And you..." Then she paused and stared at him. "...and you were here, sitting by my side, the way you are now."  
  
A gentle smile curled up Stryker's lips as he looked back at her. From the way she was looking at him, Yuriko seemed happy that he was there by her side when she woke up. Then his eyes wandered at the floor. Was she really? Was she really happy that he was there? Or was it just an illusion that he had created to trick himself into believing that she was? Perhaps Yuriko was only forcing herself to act that way towards him because she felt compelled to...because he begged for her to talk to him...because he begged for her company. Maybe she felt more pity for him than friendly compassion.  
  
Yuriko stared at his face and saw the distant look in his eyes. Something was wrong. Though his body was there, his mind seemed to be somewhere else. He looked like he was drowning in his own thoughts. Something seemed to be bothering him, but what? Shouldn't he be happy that she liked his company?  
  
She slowly reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His head suddenly perked up and he looked at her, as if her touch had snapped him out of his trance.  
  
"William?" She asked, looking into his eyes. "What happened to me? You...you did see what happened to me, right?"  
  
He forced a smile upon his lips and nodded. "Yes. I did. I saw everything." Then he breathed out and looked at the space in the middle of the room. "You were right. We were standing over there." He motioned his hand towards the area. "We just, uh, got back from under my bed. And we were talking like normal..." Then he looked at her. "We were talking like this. And then you, uh, adjusted the glasses on my face..."  
  
Yuriko slowly moved herself closer to him on the bed. And then she brought her face closer to him, her eyes looking deeply into his. For her, it was like staring into the eyes of the past...Staring into the eyes of the young Stryker who had pinned her down and laughed with her. "Like this?" She asked, as she pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as she had done earlier.  
  
Stryker looked back into her eyes and felt himself drowning in her gaze. He felt like a fish, hooked by Yuriko's stare, and now he was being drawn in like a fine catch. "Yes. Just like that." He said in a faint whisper. He couldn't even find the energy to talk. He just wanted to stare into her eyes and look at her face. It was as if the only thing in the world was him and her. Just him and her.  
  
He continued to stare at her. The moment seemed to last forever as they sat there, saying nothing to each other...though their eyes said so much more. Then he slowly moved his face closer to hers. He was quite surprised that she didn't move away. She didn't even flinch. Why didn't she? Why was she looking at him like that? Did she want something from him? But he didn't want to think of anything right now. He just wanted to kiss her.  
  
Then his eyes suddenly opened wide when he realized what he was about to do. He quickly pulled away from Yuriko and stood up from the bed. He had to pull himself together. What was he even thinking? Kissing her would only jeopardize the friendship they had now. In fact, he shouldn't have even thought of kissing her in the first place.  
  
First of all, he had no right to kiss her. Second, he wasn't even sure if she really liked him as a friend. And third, he didn't deserve her. She was a beautiful, strong-willed young woman who still had so much to live for. He, on the other hand, was an old, battered man who had a haunting past and a darker future that he won't be able to stop.  
  
She was definitely too good for the likes of him. And he had no right to ruin her perfect life by forcing himself on her. It would just be better if he got back to the present matter at hand and act as if he didn't almost kiss her. But the fact remained...he almost did.  
  
He straightened himself and clasped his hands together as he looked at her. She was still seated on the bed, looking up at him with those black, almond shaped eyes. He found it quite odd that she didn't ask why he suddenly pulled away from her. But he was glad that she didn't, for he wouldn't know what answer to give her anyway.  
  
"So, uh...After you did that..." He raised his eyebrows and pointed at his glasses. "Your eyes...they suddenly opened wide. It's like you saw a ghost. Then you stepped away from me, and you just stood here." He stepped towards the area where Yuriko had frozen in place. "And, even if your eyes were open, it was like you couldn't see anything. You couldn't even see me. You looked like you were looking through me. I called your name, but you didn't respond. You didn't even move."  
  
He could still remember the look on Yuriko's face when it happened. She looked so empty, like a lifeless mannequin, staring into nothingness. He couldn't help but feel worried again as he remembered it all. "Then you suddenly collapsed on the floor. I...I really didn't know what to do." He added. "I thought of looking for Ororo, or anyone for that matter, but..." Then he breathed in and looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. "...But I couldn't leave you. I didn't want to leave you alone."  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "So I, uh, carried you to the bed....to your bed. And I sat by your side, where you found me."  
  
Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows. "How long was I out?" She asked curiously. She wasn't even aware that she fainted until he told her. She didn't even feel it when her body hit the floor and when he carried her to the bed.  
  
"I'm really not sure." He said with a shrug. "Probably half an hour...but I really didn't keep track of the time, so, uh...I really don't know. But if you want, I could check the time real quick. There's a clock down the hallway..." He said as he pointed at the door. "...I could see what time it is if you want."  
  
Yuriko was surprised to hear that she was out for thirty minutes, when her vision only seemed to breeze through her mind like a two-minute dream. It happened so fast like a one-night love affair that left her breathless and yearning for more. And yet, even if it had come and gone, she could still feel it playing at the back of her mind.  
  
Whenever she closed her eyes, she could still see every detail, feel every touch, and relive every moment. Perhaps it wasn't her vision that kept her unconscious for half an hour...maybe it was her desire to hold on to that vision, to linger in its innocent embrace.  
  
She looked up at Stryker and saw him with his eyebrows raised, still waiting for her response about the time. "No. It's...It's all right." She said with a smile.  
  
She really didn't want to know what time it was already. Knowing the time would only make her realize how close she was from unearthing the past she so desired and feared.  
  
Desire and fear...two of the most prominent emotions that a person could feel. She desired her past, and she feared it. She feared it because she knew that it might taint the way she looked at her perfect present and her future with Logan. But she desired it because she wanted to know who she really was and who she used to be. She wanted to rediscover the part of her that had been locked away for more than fourteen years.  
  
And out of those two emotions, it was her desire that prevailed...her desire and need to rediscover herself. That was why she decided to go through with the procedure tomorrow. And that decision was final. No regrets. No second thoughts. But as for now, now while everything was still locked away in her very own pandora's box, she just wanted to make the night last for as long as she could. Why? Because like Stryker, tonight was also her last night as her current self.  
  
Yuriko gently pushed herself off the bed, in an attempt to stand up, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, she suddenly felt her head swirling. She looked around her and everything seemed so blurry, as if the entire room was spinning. A sickly groan escaped from her lips and she placed a hand on her forehead, then she fell forward as her dizziness sucked the energy from her body.  
  
Stryker's eyes opened wide with fear as he saw Yuriko about to keel over. He immediately ran in front of her and caught her in his arms. He felt her solid weight against his body as he wrapped his arms around her. She was definitely heavier than she looked, but that was probably due to the adamantium in her skeleton. He held her close to him, trying to keep her on her feet. He could feel her hands clutching his chest, while her head pressed against it as she half-consciously leaned against him for support.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked softly as he looked down at her. "Yuriko?" He could still feel her leaning against him. He knew that she was still somewhat conscious because her legs were still keeping her up and her hands were still clutching his shirt.  
  
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	47. Living paradox

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.  
  
Title: Unforgivable Sinners  
  
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.  
  
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .  
  
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SKETTY24 = Thanks for the review =D!!!! Hmmm...I don't want to spoil the plot for you...But let's just say that once the "past sequence" begins, this fanfic is about to come to an end x.x! So yeah, the past sequence happens near the end of the fanfic. I'm still not sure how to really end this though...Hmmmmmm... ponders .  
  
Anyway, sorry if I'm throwing Stryker into the plot again...But I believe it would be better to give this "new"/"young" Stryker some screen time (I hope all the L/S fans out there won't mind. lol).  
  
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Chapter 47: Living paradox  
  
Yuriko gave out a small groan as she slowly opened her eyes. She expected to find herself on the floor, but she found herself wrapped in his arms instead. She couldn't believe how safe and warm she felt in his embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her body, cradling her close to him. She could feel his broad, solid body pressing against her own slender physique, as he held her, not letting her fall. She could even feel his chest slowly moving up and down and as he breathed. She didn't know why, but she felt so helpless, so fragile in his arms...as if her defenses have all shattered on purpose.  
  
He saw her eyes open and felt relieved that she was alright. "Don't push yourself too hard." He whispered with a smile. Yuriko looked up to him and saw a gentle smile on his face. For the past fourteen years, Stryker's past self had done nothing but pull her down to the level of a mindless puppet. But a short while ago, when she was about to fall, he saved her. He didn't let her fall. Instead, he pulled her up.  
  
Then she suddenly realized that she was still in his arms, and she quickly pulled away. She didn't want to be that close to him. When she agreed to spend the night with him, she didn't even think that she would end up wrapped in his arms. But then, she also didn't expect that she would like him as much as she did now.  
  
She wasn't even supposed to like him in the first place. That wasn't a part of her original plan. She was only supposed to talk to him and listen to him like he begged her to. But now, she found herself staring into his youthful blue eyes as if she didn't want him to leave...now she was the one who wanted him to stay. But whether she liked it or not, he would soon leave her as he did, many, many decades ago. Why did he even have to come back? Why now? Why couldn't he stay?  
  
Stryker felt a little embarrassed when Yuriko suddenly pulled away from him. It was like she wanted to detangle herself from his arms in a hurry. Though he really couldn't blame her...he did hold her too close and far longer than he should have. She probably felt uncomfortable feeling him so physically close to her like that. But when she fell limply into his arms, he just had the urge to hold her, to protect her and keep her safe. He felt as if he owed her that, after all those years of hurting her.  
  
He straightened himself and ran his fingers through his hair in an effort to look unruffled. He was thinking of apologizing about what just happened, but he didn't want to bring up another negative topic that could ruin their last night together. After all, when he caught her and held her close to him, his intentions were purely for her well-being. He just wanted to help her as a friend.  
  
"Maybe you should go back to bed." There was concern in his voice. "I know you have those healing abilities of yours," He shook a finger at her. "but you really don't look that good to me right now." He said in a rather joking way, with a smirk on his lips.  
  
Then the smirk on his face faded as he looked at her with concerned eyes. "Honestly, Yuriko...You should rest. You almost collapsed just a while ago." He sounded really worried, and the troubled expression on his face showed it.  
  
Yuriko couldn't help but smile as she looked back at him. He really was concerned about her. She could tell it by the look on his face and the sound of his voice. This man was definitely the exact opposite of the Stryker she once knew. While the mutant-hating William Stryker cared for no one but himself, this new Stryker seemed to care more about the people around him. How could that Stryer and this Stryker be one and the same person? They were exactly different entities. He was like a living paradox of himself.  
  
She stepped towards him and gently placed a hand on his chest. "William...Don't worry. I'm fine." She said with a big smile on her face. "Trust me...I'm tougher than I look." She arched an eyebrow and smiled in a taunting way.  
  
Stryker raised his eyebrows and abruptly nodded in agreement. "I know. Believe me...I know." He said with a chuckle. Then he shrugged and smiled at her. "So, uh, do you want me to get you something? A cold glass of water? Something to eat? Anything?"  
  
She smiled and gently moved her hands to the collar of his shirt. A gentle laugh escaped from her lips as she fixed his collar. "I have two hands and two feet...and I can walk." She looked up at him with her eyebrows raised and a wide smile on her lips. "You really don't have to worry about me, William. I can do things for myself, okay?" She straightened his collar for the last time and moved her hands back down to her sides. She was still amazed at how completely different he was. If they had met before, and he was who he was now, they really could have been friends --- very good friends.  
  
"Okay." He said, nodding his head. "But if you really need anything..."  
  
"I know..." She smiled and gently poked him on the chest. "I'll go to you."  
  
They both looked at each other and laughed quietly. Their eyes continued to stare into one another as gentle laughter escaped from their lips. Both of them felt somewhat stupid because they were giggling at nothing, but in reality, they were laughing because they unknowingly enjoyed each other's laughter and each other's company.  
  
They were laughing simply because they were happy to be there, standing in front of each other like two friends who hadn't seen each other for a very long time. Sometimes, people don't need logical reasons to do the things they do. Sometimes, people do what they do because they embrace what they see and what they feel...not what they think.  
  
She suddenly remembered Stryker say something about food. Then she realized that she hadn't eaten the entire day. The last time she had filled herself was when she and Stryker took the plane to the White House. And at this point in time, she could really feel her hunger due to the empty, grumbling pit in her stomach.  
  
She looked down and placed her hand over her grumbling midsection. It was her first time to feel it grumble like that...and in a way, she liked the feeling. It was another proof that she was alive...that she was still human. Ever since she bit and swallowed that first piece of grape, her body yearned for nothing but real food. And now, she felt hunger like she had never felt it before. She definitely had to get something to eat soon.  
  
She looked at Stryker. "William?" She asked softly.  
  
Stryker looked back at her with an attentive look on his face. "Yes?" He asked.  
  
"Have you eaten already?" She asked curiously.  
  
He smiled and chuckled. "You could say that." He said as he nodded his head.  
  
He remembered eating with Bobby and Rogue. He actually found them quite nice, until Bobby decided to surprise him with his 'chilling' mutant powers. As for Rogue, she seemed like a very nice young woman. She looked at him with fearful, watchful eyes, but she treated him with respect. In a way, he admired those two. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill them before, they still invited him to eat with them. They were like two sheep inviting a wolf to dinner. They gave him a place in their table, offered him food to eat, and water to drink.  
  
"Oh. So you've already eaten." She said with a smile. "Because I'm really very hungry right now..." She emphasized the word 'very'. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning, and I thought that, well, maybe you'd want to join me for a little late night dinner. But since you've already eaten, then I guess I'll just ask Logan to..."  
  
He suddenly grabbed her hand. "No!" He shouted. "I'd love to join you!" He said eagerly. Hearing Logan's name sparked a fire in him. He wouldn't let Logan take her away from him, now that him and Yuriko were finally in good terms. Then his eyes opened wide when he realized that he was holding her hand. He immediately let go of it and smiled with an embarrassed look on his face. Then he breathed in and straightened himself. "What I was, uh, trying to say, is that I would really love to join you for dinner. That is if, um, your invitation still stands."  
  
Yuriko smiled as she looked at him. She couldn't deny how young and innocent he looked right now. They were technically of the same age, but the youthful vigor and enthusiasm in his eyes almost made him appear as young as her.  
  
"Yes. My invitation still stands." She nodded with a gentle smile on her lips.  
  
Stryker smiled and clasped his hands together. "Great! I mean, that's good. Thank you. After all, I do know where the kitchen is, so I could get us there in no time." He said with a huge smile on his face. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.  
  
"Then lead the way, Mr. Stryker." She said, smiling at him. She couldn't believe that they were actually going to have dinner...together! And she was practically the one who asked him to accompany her too. She really didn't expect any of this to happen. But since it was already happening, then she might as well play along while it lasted.  
  
Stryker walked to the door and opened it. He stepped outside and Yuriko soon followed after him, closing the door behind her. "So, where to now?" She asked.  
  
He placed his hands in his pockets and walked down the hallway. "First, we go to the elevator." He said as he turned his head to look at her.  
  
She quickly walked to his side and followed him. There they were again, walking side by side like they had always done for the past fourteen years. She found it quite odd that she had willingly walked to his right side, where she used to walk back when she was Lady Deathstrike. Though now, things were completely different. She wasn't Lady Deathstrike and he wasn't that William Stryker anymore. While some things still stayed the same between them, everything else was new and different.  
  
She looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw him walking beside her, with his unkempt shirt and his hands in his pockets. He looked so calm and relaxed. Then she looked at herself and saw herself wearing a snug tanktop and a beige pair of shorts.  
  
She smiled...a happy, gentle smile. Both of them really looked so different from their former counterparts. Gone were their formal suits, documents and suitcases. Gone were the mind-control drugs and the constant mutant-hunting. Now, they were just two ordinary people who were going to have a good, late night dinner together.  
  
Then she remembered Logan. She wondered if he was still in Jean's room. She wanted to know if he was okay. When she left him, he looked like he was about to break down and weep. Logan didn't seem like the kind of person who'd cry over someone's death. He had seen so many deaths in his life that it was only just a consequence to him...a product of someone's actions, the price to pay for life. But Jean was someone he loved, and he had all the right in the world to mourn for her passing.  
  
God, she missed Logan. She remembered walking down the same hallway with him and she missed everything about him. She missed the feeling of his hand holding hers, she missed the sound of his voice, the feeling of her hand against his cheek. She missed how he would tell her stories about the mansion and stories about his life as a wanderer.  
  
In a way, she felt like she was cheating on Stryker. She was with him, walking by his side, and yet her mind was with Logan. Her mind thought of nothing but Logan and everything that she had done with him that night. She thought of their walk around the mansion, the sunset, the swimming pool, the broken kiss, his arms around her body, sitting beside him on the pool as they talked about life and stars.  
  
Then her head suddenly perked up as the elevator door in front of her opened. She didn't even realize that they already reached the elevator. Perhaps she was thinking about Logan too much. They both stepped inside and Stryker pressed the button for the first floor. The elevator door closed and they descended to the lower level. 


	48. Sandwiched

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

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CHAPTER 48'S FINALLY UP =D!!! Sorry for the looong delay. I tried uploading this yesterday, but I was encountering some errors with x.x!

Anyway, I really hope the "drama-ness" of the story isn't turning you guys off =), especially since Yuriko, Logan and Stryker really aren't much of "drama" characters. Well, I hope you like this next chap =D! Thanks for reading =D!

DZ DILLINGER = Thank you so much for reading all those chapters and thanks for the review too =D! Yeah...you're definitely right...this story really is more of a drama/romance fic O.O! At first, I was really worried that this kind of fic wouldn't work for Yuriko, Logan and Stryker (especially Stryker .), so I guess it's wonderful that readers are liking this so far! And yeah, the story's timeline seems a little rushed =(...But the explanation for Yuriko accepting the X-Men can be pretty feasible. 1. She had known the X-Men for a long time already. During her work as Stryker's personal assistant, she was able to learn a lot about them. 2. The x-men had been the only people to treat her right and respect her as who she was. She also feels a "special" connection with Logan and Logan treats the x-men as family. As for the Chuck, Charles thing...heheh...you're right...I did mess it up a bit .!

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**Chapter 48 : Sandwiched**

The elevator stopped on the first floor and its doors opened. Stryker stepped out and Yuriko followed after him. Then he turned around to face her.

Yuriko's eyes wandered at his face, and in that split second, Logan drifted away from her mind, and Stryker was the only one she could think about. She remembered how she and the younger Stryker looked at each other in her vision. In her vision, they looked at each other as if they wanted something from one another...something they couldn't have. She remembered seeing herself underneath him, looking up into his blue eyes. She could still recall how his younger self pinned her down, his body just a few inches above hers.

No. She shouldn't think about that. She should get him out of his head. Logan was the only one she wanted. Logan was the only one she needed. He was the only one who was right for her. She should forget whatever she and the younger Stryker had.

She suddenly felt her body tense up as Stryker placed his hand on her arm. "Hey, you have that blank look in your eyes again. I really hope that's just your hunger catching up on you." He said with a joking tone in his voice. "Come on. The kitchen's just down the hallway." He smiled at her and then turned around to walk towards the kitchen.

Yuriko just stood there as Stryker walked away from her. She couldn't help it...She couldn't help but remember the two of them in her vision. Whenever she looked into his eyes, even now that he was older, she could still see him and her together at the back of her mind. She could still see his youthful face looking at her. She could still feel his touch, and his breath and his blue eyes boring into her black ones.

How could something that felt so right, be so wrong? Was it because she wanted it to be wrong? Was it because she was afraid to become close to him as she was in her vision? Whether she liked it or not, she and Stryker used to have something in her forgotten past. But as to what it was, she still wasn't sure...but it was definitely something.

Stryker stopped in his tracks and furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed that Yuriko wasn't walking by his side. He turned around and saw her still standing where he had left her earlier.

"Come on, Yuriko!" He said with a smile as he motioned for her to follow. "The night's not going to wait for us, you know. Don't make me come there and carry you!" He shouted in a joking manner. Then his eyes wandered at the clock on the wall. He suddenly felt his chest tighten as he saw the position of the clock's hands. It was already eleven fifteen in the evening. Just forty-five more minutes before tomorrow comes. Just forty-five more minutes before the day when he would revert to the man he once was.

Then he felt someone's hand on his arm and he looked in front of him. It was Yuriko. She looked at his face and saw the fear in his eyes. She too felt his fear. In less than ten hours she would regain the past she had forgotten...she would become whole again. But at what price? What will she find in her past? What was she going to unleash?

Then she smiled as she stared deep into his eyes. "It's just the time, William." She said softly. "It's just the time." She really didn't want to think about her past right now. She would just leave that for tomorrow, once they were finally in the procedure.

He looked back at her and forced a smile on his face. "Yeah. You're right. It's just the time. It's not like it's going to take something away from us, right?" But he knew that it was. It was going to strip him of his right to live the life that he wanted to live. But he didn't want Yuriko to see his pain. He wanted to hide it from her. He wanted her to see him as a man who lived happily in the last few hours of his two-day life.

"No...It's not. It's not going to take anything away from us." She said with a smile. She was surprised that she used the word 'us' instead of 'you' or 'me'. Why? Did she care for his future now? She moved her hand to his face and gently ran her fingers down his cheek. She knew that he was trying to hide his pain... she could still see the sadness within his blue eyes despite his desperate attempt to hide it behind his fake smile.

She gave out a soft laugh and gently pulled his arm with her. "Now let's go!" She said with enthusiasm in her voice. "Don't mind the time, William. The night is still young and you still owe me dinner." She smiled and arched an eyebrow.

Stryker felt all his fears drift away as he saw her smiling at him. Whenever she smiled at him and laughed with him, everything felt so right...so perfect. And tonight, he was going to savor her company. Tonight was the last night when he would see her smiling at him...and he wanted to remember it all...her smile, her laugh, her face, everything.

He smiled and walked with her to the kitchen. To hell with tomorrow. He was going to make the night last forever and he would dedicate every second to making her happy. He was going to make her remember him as the man he was now. He was going to make sure that she remembers their first and last night together.

They stepped inside the kitchen and Yuriko's eyes wandered at the room. She walked towards the kitchen table and walked around it, running her hands on its smooth surface as her eyes continued to wander around the kitchen.

"Nice kitchen." She said with a smile. Then she looked at Stryker. He was standing on the other side of the table. "Definitely better than yours." She said in a joking way.

"Definitely." He nodded in agreement. "Even I can't argue with that. The only thing you can make in my kitchen is boiling water." He said sarcastically.

Yuriko smiled and sat on one of the chairs. She placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. "So, what's there to eat?" She asked curiously. "I'm starving." She could already feel her stomach begging for food. Then her eyes wandered at the fridge behind Stryker. "Something tells me that's where they keep all the food." She pointed at the fridge. "Well, I guess I'll just have to see what I can eat for tonight." She was about to stand up, when she suddenly heard Stryker's voice.

"You don't have to get up...just um, just stay there. Sit down." He said with a smile, as he motioned for her to sit. The grin on his face and the excited glint in his eyes were surefire signs that he had something up his sleeve.

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him with a suspicious smile on her face. "Okay. If you say so." She said. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She knew Stryker was up to something, but she couldn't help but comply with his request. For the first time in her life, she willingly followed his 'orders'. There was just something in his smile and the look in his eyes that made her want to obey his innocent request.

She sat back down on her chair and looked at him curiously. She clasped her hands on the table, like she did before, and twiddled her thumbs together as she watched his actions. She saw him walk towards the fridge. What was he going to do?

"So...What are you up to?" She asked curiously as she watched him.

He turned to look at her with a devious smile on his face. "Well, um..." Then he rubbed his hands together, as if he was thinking of the right words to say. "I know that you don't like it when people do things for you. But, since this is...our last night together, I was, uh, thinking of making you dinner." He said, smiling with his eyebrows raised.

Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise as she looked at him with a dumbfounded smile on her face. She really didn't know how to react to what he just said. William Stryker is actually going to make her dinner? The Stryker she knew would never do something like that for her, or anyone else. He never even opened the door for her, or pulled the chair for her. He didn't even shield her from the rain when he had an umbrella and she didn't. But then, this man really wasn't that Stryker. She had to keep that in mind.

"William. You don't even know how to cook." She said matter-of-factly. "In fact, for the past fourteen years, I've never seen you cook. Never." She emphasized the word 'never'. And it was true. The previous Stryker really didn't give that much importance to food or eating. For him, eating was just an obligation, a requirement to keep his body alive and moving. It was neither an art nor a pleasure for him.

Stryker arched an eyebrow and shrugged. "But for the past two days, I wasn't the man you've known for the past fourteen years." He said cockily as he shook a finger at her. "So just sit back, and, uh, let me handle this." He pointed at himself as he nodded. "I'm going to make you a great sandwich...Trust me."

He turned to the fridge and opened it. He seemed really busy as he waded through the variety food in there. Yuriko could see his arms moving as he gently pushed each food aside, as if he was looking for some thing in particular.

"You know how to make a sandwich?" She asked curiously. She didn't want to admit it, but she found him so amusing right now. She was looking at a man who never did anything for anyone, who never knew how to make a simple meal, and there he was, doing his best to make sandwich dinner for her.

"Well, kind of. I saw Rogue and Bobby making some when I had dinner with them." He said as he continued to look in the fridge.

He grabbed the jars of peanut butter and strawberry jelly, and took the opened pack of sliced-cheese that he saw on the table when he ate with the Bobby and Rogue. Then his eyebrows furrowed when he saw the jar of mayonnaise. He shrugged and grabbed it too. The more the filling, the better...he thought with a grin.

He placed them all in his arms, and gently closed the fridge door with his foot. His hands and arms were already too occupied holding up all of the sandwich ingredients. He walked to the kitchen table and placed them in front of Yuriko.

Yuriko arched an eyebrow as she saw the food in front of her. When William mentioned a sandwich, those fillings weren't really the ones she had in mind. She was actually thinking of a nice, delectable vegetable sandwich with cheese, mayonnaise, tomatoes and a nice amount of chopped cabbage and dressing. She saw someone eating it once, when she and Stryker met with a business associate in an exclusive restaurant. And she had wanted to taste one ever since. After all, back then she really didn't have the right to choose for herself. She never had the freedom to choose whatever she wanted. It was always about Stryker. It was always about him, himself and him alone.

It's just quite unfortunate that she and the current Stryker didn't have the same sandwich in mind. But now, at least it just wasn't about him...it was about her too.

She grabbed the jar of strawberry jelly and looked at it. "So, you had dinner with Rogue and Bobby, huh?" She asked, as she read the jar's labeling.

Stryker walked to the kitchen counter and took the bag of sliced bread that lay there. It only had four slices remaining. He remembered eating around eight slices earlier, but he wasn't really sure since he just shoved as much bread as he could in his mouth. He might have even eaten more than that since he was so hungry. As for Rogue and Bobby, they probably ate some of the remaining bread right after he left.

"Yeah. I ate with Rogue and Bobby. Though my little dinner with them didn't really end as pleasant as I would have wanted it to." He said with his eyebrows raised.

He walked to the kitchen rack and took a spoon, a knife and a small plate with his free hand. Then he walked back to the kitchen table and placed the bag of bread alongside the jars that he got from the fridge. He placed the small plate right in front of him, and put the knife on it, and the spoon beside the plate.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yuriko said as she looked at him. Stryker looked preoccupied as he arranged the jars and kitchen utensils in front of him.

Stryker shrugged and smiled at her. "Nah. It's okay. After all, if I were in their place, I probably would have treated me the same way too. I mean, I really wasn't the nicest guy in the world, you know." He said with a chuckle. "Even I would beat myself up if I could...though you and Logan had already done that for me." He smiled and quickly pointed at his different body injuries. "And for that, I thank you." He said as he graciously nodded at her.

Yuriko gave out a small laugh as she looked at him. She still couldn't believe how different he was...how nice and sweet and humble he was. He was even making her laugh. "How did your little dinner with Rogue and Bobby end anyway?" She asked curiously. "That is, if...it's okay to ask. You really didn't sound too happy about it."

He opened the bag of bread and took two slices out. Then he looked at her with his eyebrow arched up. "Let's just say that it ended with a splash." He looked down at his pants, and then he looked at her again. "And a very cold one at that." He said with his eyes wide open and a sarcastic smile on his face. He placed the two slices of bread on the small plate in front of him, and then he reached out for the jar of strawberry jelly and twisted its lid open.

"Bobby got you, huh?" She asked with her eyebrow arched up.

"Yeah. The boy from the north pole." He chuckled. He put the lid aside and picked up the butter knife that he got earlier. He scooped up some jelly from the jar, and spread it evenly and nicely on a slice of bread. "You know what?" His eyes were focused on the bread as he continued to spread and put more jelly on it. "This really isn't tough at all." Then he looked at her with a big smile on his face. "I told you I could make you a sandwich. And trust me, I'm going to make you the best sandwich you've ever tasted in your life!" He said proudly, as he shook the knife at her.

Then he picked up the mayonnaise jar and looked at it. "Hmm...This looks good." He mumbled to himself with his eyebrows raised. He shrugged his shoulders and twisted the lid open. He moved the opening of the mayo jar right above the jelly-filled slice of bread and used the knife to push some mayonnaise on top of the layer of jelly. He placed the jar back on the table and spread the mayonnaise all over the bread. "Looks pretty good, huh?" He asked with a smile as he looked at her.

Yuriko cringed in disgust as she watched Stryker spread the chunks of creamy, white mayonnaise all over her half-made jelly sandwich. She wasn't really much a food expert herself, but something told her that mayonnaise and strawberry jelly just don't go well together. Perhaps it was because of how different the two food substances were. Even if she hadn't tasted either of them before, she could smell their tastes from where she was sitting. One smelled very sweet; while the other smelled bland and sour. The sight wasn't much to behold either. Strawberry jelly and mayonnaise just didn't look good together...just like her and Stryker. Well, At least now she knew why he never cooked...and a part of her wished that he had stayed that way.

She gave out a small giggle as she watched him make his sandwich. She really didn't want to ridicule his rather peculiar creation, but she couldn't help herself. He just looked so excited, happy, innocent and proud, like a five-year-old boy making his very first brownie to show to his mother. Except the William Stryker in front of her was two-year-old fully-grown man who looked old enough to be her father, and she was in no way his mother. So, who was she to him, and who was he to her?

Stryker suddenly looked at her with curious, childlike eyes and a rather suspicious smile on his face. "What?" He asked curiously. "You're laughing again." He said in a teasing way. Then he arched an eyebrow as a sly grin curled up his lips. "Is it me, or am I just naturally funny to you?" He asked with a chuckle.

"It's not you, William." She said with a grin. "It's your sandwich." She smiled and pointed at his creation. "I don't think you should be putting that..." She pointed at the jar of mayonnaise. "With that..." Then she pointed at the jar of strawberry jelly.

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "I don't know..." He said with uncertainty. He looked at his sandwich, and then he looked back at her. "It looks good to me." He said proudly. "Look, Yuriko. Just sit back, relax, and let me do all the work, okay?" He asked with a smile. "Trust me...this sandwich is really going to be---"

Yuriko rolled her eyes and sighed. "I know, I know...it's going to be the best sandwich I've ever tasted in my entire life." She said sarcastically. And yet, she couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. He was trying his best. After all, he wasn't lying when he told her that it was going to be the best sandwich she'd ever taste in her life, because it was going to be the first sandwich she would taste in her life.

"It's not yet finished anyway." He said as he moved the other remaining ingredients closer to him. "I really want to make it something big...something special." He picked up the pack of sliced cheese and looked at its packaging. "Cheese." He read matter-of-factly. He opened the zip-locked pack and took out two slices of cheese. "This is going to be great." He said enthusiastically. He placed the two slices of cheese over the layer of mayonnaise and firmly flattened them against it.

Yuriko just smiled and slightly shook her head from side to side. She was quite flattered that Stryker was doing his best to make her something to eat, but she wasn't sure if his creation was even edible. From the looks of it, he was practically defying all the laws of sandwich making. Then she chuckled to herself. Who was she to talk anyway? She hadn't cooked a thing for the past fourteen years either. Perhaps it would be best if she just let him do as he pleased. After all, it was the last time she was going to see him like this. She might as well let him be as much as the man who he was right now.

"And now for the final touch." Stryker said proudly with a smile. He picked up the jar of peanut butter and held it up with its label facing Yuriko. "Peanut butter." He said in a cheeky way. He looked at her with a tilted eyebrow and a wide smile his lips. "You're going to love this." He twisted the lid open and placed it on the table, alongside the lids of the other jars he had opened earlier. He picked up the knife and started to scoop huge, creamy, brown chunks of peanut butter from the jar. "Now this...this is going to be the highlight of my masterpiece." He enthusiastically spread the peanut butter all over the double layer of cheese.

He looked rather serious as he evenly flattened the thick layer of peanut butter all over his nearly finished creation...he was like an artist putting his last finishing touches on his epic painting. All that over a simple sandwich. But it just wasn't any kind of sandwich. It was a sandwich that he had made especially for her...for Yuriko. It was the first and last thing he was ever going to make for her, to give to her, and he wanted to make it special. It was more than just a sandwich to him now. It was something that would make her remember him so that she would never forget the night when they were once friends, the night when he had made her dinner with his own two hands. He wanted her to remember the time when he had given something to her, rather than take away.

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	49. I'm still here

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

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Thanks for the review, SKETTY24 =D!!! Lol. As for BEATLE!'s review, it actually made it LOL when I read it! Lmao! Yeah...the Logan/Yuriko pairing is GOOD, but the Yuriko/Stryker pairing really is rather DISTURBING. LMAO!!! Aaahh...well, it's not that bad if you think of his younger version (I think x.x). oh well, chapter 49's up =D!

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**Chapter 49 : I'm still here**

He gently placed the empty slice of bread over the heavily layered one and carefully pressed down on it. He could see a small amount of its fillings oozing out from its sides. "I bet no sandwich in the world is exactly like this." He said proudly.

"I actually agree with you on that one." She nodded with a forced smile on her lips. She had seen a wide variety of foods back when she was Stryker's personal 'assistant'. They've gone to different countries and have eaten with different kinds of people. But never had she encountered a peanut butter and strawberry and cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. Well, at least she was going to be the first person to try one.

Stryker took the knife and diagonally sliced through his thick sandwich, splitting it into two triangular halves. He was very careful not to displace any of the fillings as he did. Then he put the knife down and pushed the plate towards Yuriko. He excitedly sat down on the chair right next to him and crossed his arms on the table. His face was filled with so much anticipation as he smiled and looked at her.

"Well?" He asked. The huge smile on his face showed how truly excited he was. "Go on. Dig in." He motioned his hand towards his sandwich. He looked like he couldn't wait to see Yuriko bite into the food he had made for her.

Yuriko raised her eyebrows and forcedly smiled as she looked at the food in front of her. It did look appetizing, but looks can be deceiving. "Wow." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "That really does look good." She slightly nodded her head. She tried to hide her dislike behind the fake smile on her face and the look of enthusiasm in her widened eyes. She really didn't want to tell him that she preferred to eat something else...something more 'normal'. It's just that he looked so excited while he was making it, and she didn't want to break his spirit.

The forced smile on her face lingered as she slowly turned the plate around, looking at the sandwich from every angle. She nodded her head and smiled at him, as if she was in full approval of the food he had 'created'. Then she picked up one of the two triangular pieces. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. She knew she had to eat it, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

But before that... "William... Do you want to share?" She asked as she looked at him with inviting eyes and an even more inviting smile.

A humble grin curled up Stryker's lips as he shook his head from side to side. "Nah. I'm all right. I've eaten already, and, well, I did make that for you, and I want you to eat it. I want you to enjoy it." He emphasized the word 'you' every time he referred to her.

"Oh come on." She chuckled. "I want you and me to enjoy it together." And before Stryker could refuse, she pushed the plate towards him. It had the other half of the sandwich on it. "You go eat that half. And I'll eat this half." She smiled and held up her half of the sandwich.

"If you say so." Stryker said as he nodded his head, and then he moved the plate closer to him. He actually liked the thought of sharing it with her.

He wanted to do everything with her. He wanted to know what it felt like to be in her company and to do the things that she wanted to do. He wanted to be better than Logan...He wanted to make her smile more than Logan did. He yearned to give her the things that Logan could not give. He had felt that way ever since he first saw Yuriko and Logan together, and that feeling was still very much imminent.

Until now, he still couldn't understand why he felt that way whenever he saw them together. In fact, the feeling felt so familiar, like he had been competing with Logan for a very long time. Yes...he was competing with him...competing for Yuriko's affection. He was an old, battered man competing against a young warrior for the attention of a beautiful, young lady. How pathetic of him to think that he even had a chance. Then he looked at her and saw her smiling as she looked at him. She was holding on to the sandwich that he had made for her. The ball was now on his court and he would do anything and give everything to make it stay there for as long as he could.

"But if you want my piece," He pointed at the plate. "Then don't be afraid to ask." He said with a smile on his face. "After all, I did make this for you. And with how hungry you are right now, I know you'll finish the entire thing anyway."

Yuriko shrugged and looked at her half of the sandwich. "We'll see." She chuckled. Then she looked at the sandwich again, her eyes filled with determination. "Well, here we go." She was planning on eating it as fast as she could.

Stryker watched with so much excitement as Yuriko took her first big bite out of the sandwich that he had made for her. Then Yuriko's eyes opened wide as the taste filled her mouth. She was definitely right about two things. First of all, Stryker can't make good food. Second, the sandwich was bad...really bad.

The blandness and sourness of the mayonnaise went against the sweetness of the peanut butter and jelly, and the tanginess of the cheese just upped the ante of how terrible it tasted. She felt her jaw tighten as she forcefully chewed and swallowed it down her throat. She had the urge to grimace and drink it all down with a big glass of water, but she didn't want to give him the impression that she hated it...a lot.

Stryker raised his eyebrows in anticipation and gleefully smiled as he looked at her. "So...How is it?" He asked, rubbing his hands together "You like it?" He nodded his head as if he wanted her to say 'yes'.

Yuriko sharply exhaled from her nose in an effort to clear some of the taste from her mouth, then she forced a big smile on her face. "Mmm...hmm..." She nodded her head in fake agreement. Then she looked at her hand and she saw the remaining piece of uneaten sandwich. If the mansion had a dog, she would have given it to the dog already. She did appreciate Stryker's efforts, but it just tasted so bad, that even she, a woman who hadn't eaten a real meal for the past decade, found it utterly distasteful.

Stryker laughed in delight as he saw her nod in approval of his sandwich. "Oh wow." He said with a big smile. "See? I told you! I told you it was going to taste great!" He said jovially as he motioned his hand towards her. He looked like he was about to stand up from his seat and just jump for joy. He couldn't hide the happiness that he was feeling at the moment. She loved it. She loved what he had made for her.

Then his eyes wandered at the uneaten piece on her hand. "Go on...Eat it. Don't be shy. Just...just eat as much as you want." He said with an excited tone in his voice. "I can make you another one if you're still hungry. Take my piece too! You want a glass of water? You want more peanut butter on that?" He couldn't seem to stop talking. He was just so excited and so happy, that he just wanted to keep on going.

Yuriko just smiled and nodded as she looked at him. "I'm fine." She said abruptly. She could still feel the aftertaste on her tongue. Then she looked at the uneaten sandwich in her hand and braced herself as she shoved it all in her mouth. She just wanted to get it all over with. She tried to hide her grimace behind her fake smile as she forced herself to chew and swallow it all. She would do anything for a big glass of water, but it was too late for that now. She was now at the mercy of her dinner.

She continued to smile and nod at him as she chewed and swallow it. Stryker on the other hand, watched in delight as he saw her enjoying her food. Yuriko finally felt the last bit of sandwich go down her throat and she quickly gasped for air. Then she immediately gave out a small, fake laugh in an attempt to hide her gasp.

"Wow! That...that was filling." She said with a huge smile on her face. Then her eyes darted at the water dispenser. "Um...excuse me, William. I'll just, um...get a glass of water." And she wanted a big one at that. She smiled at him and slowly stood up.

"How about this piece?" He asked as he pointed at his sandwich. His eyes followed her as she walked to the water dispenser. "I know you want it." He said teasingly as he held the plate up, a big wide smile spread across his lips.

Yuriko took a clean drinking glass from the kitchen counter and then she turned to look at him. "I would love to, but I'm already pretty full." She said as she patted her stomach. She lied. She was actually still very hungry. She could still feel the empty, grumbling pit in her stomach. But she didn't want to tell him, because if she did, he would happily offer her his half and she wouldn't be able to refuse. Well, she could refuse, but she knew that it would break him in two if she did.

"Your loss." He shrugged. He placed the plate back on the table and picked up his half of the sandwich. "Huh. I wonder what this really tastes like." He mumbled to himself.

Yuriko laughed silently as she filled her glass with cold water. She filled it up to the rim, and then pulled it out of the water dispenser. She couldn't wait to see his reaction. She drank the entire glass and sighed with relief as it washed the aftertaste from her mouth. She placed it on the kitchen counter beside her and watched as Stryker brought the sandwich closer to him.

He grinned, and then took a big bite out of his half. He looked at her and smiled as he chewed on it. After a few seconds of chewing, his eyes suddenly opened wide as the taste sank in his mouth. He closed his eyes shut and tightly pursed his lips as he cringed in disgust. Then he gave out a small whimper and his chewing went to a complete stop. He placed a hand over his mouth and looked at the water dispenser. Yuriko couldn't help but snicker as she saw the repulsed look on his face. He looked like he was going to throw up any time soon.

He suddenly stood up from his chair and quickly walked to where Yuriko was standing. His hand was still over his mouth as he grabbed Yuriko's drinking glass from the kitchen counter. He didn't even look at her or made any gestures that he was going to use it. He just grabbed it and entirely filled it in the water dispenser. Yuriko just stood there beside him, giggling to herself as she watched his every move.

When she was Lady Deathstrike, she never thought that she would ever find the two of them in such a 'humorous' situation. She didn't even think that she'd have the chance to smile and laugh at her own accord. But now, there she was, laughing playfully at Stryker, as if he had never caused her the pain she had gone through for what felt like the entirety of her life. In fact, she was laughing at him as if they've never left those forgotten days when him and her were once very good friends.

He quickly brought the glass to his lips gulped down all the water right down to the last drop. As soon as he had finished drinking, he gasped for his breath and placed the glass back on the kitchen counter. Then he coughed and shook his head from side to side in an effort to forget the horrid taste that just filled his mouth.

"Oh god, that tasted horrible!" He exclaimed with a disgusted look on his face. He winced as the taste continued to linger on his tongue. Then he noticed Yuriko snickering to herself as she looked at him. "How could you have eaten that?!" He asked with an inquisitive look on his face while he motioned his hand towards his plate on the table. "That..." He said as he waved a finger at his remaining sandwich "...that sandwich could kill an entire species!" He said firmly with a joking tone in his voice. "I mean, seriously...how could you have eaten it?! This I have to know."

Yuriko immediately suppressed her laughter and forced a friendly, humble smile on her lips, though her wide, cheerful eyes still expressed how funny she found the current situation. She gently patted him on his upper arm in a comforting manner.

"Well I thought it wasn't that bad." She shrugged and smiled encouragingly. So she was lying to him again. His food tasted horrid and she knew it. But she really didn't want to make him feel bad about such a small, petty thing.

Stryker rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh come on. It tasted bad and you know it." He said, looking at her with questioning eyes. "Even 'I' found it disgusting!"

"William, seriously...it wasn't that bad." She said as she looked at him with affirming eyes, her head slightly shaking from side to side. "I actually think it was...it was...rather unique." She furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. It was rather unique indeed.

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you." He said firmly. "I know you hated it." He muttered. "Admit it, Yuriko...you thought it tasted really, really bad..." He looked at her like he could read her mind, as if he knew what she was thinking. "...really terrible...like something died in your mouth." Then he gave out a small chuckle. He knew he was already exaggerating things.

"William...it's just a sandwich." She said imposingly.

"Ha!" He suddenly shouted as he pointed her, like he had just caught her in the scene of the crime. Yuriko almost jumped back in surprise with her eyes opened wide as she looked back at him. "So you did think it was terrible!" He shouted, still pointing at her. "Admit it! You did!" His eyes stared firmly into hers.

Yuriko knew it was time to come clean. No use in denying what was pretty much obvious. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine, fine...Okay, you got me." She sighed. Then she looked deeply into his eyes and gently placed a hand over his chest. "Look, William...I know you put a lot of effort into that sandwich, and that you made it especially for me..." She wanted to break it to him gently. "But...but it...it really was awful...it didn't taste good at all. And you're right. It could kill an entire species." She said with a dismayed smile as she nodded at him.

Stryker's shoulder's drooped down and his arms fell limply on his sides. Yuriko could clearly see the disappointed expression on his face. "Ooooh. I knew it!" He groaned. "I already saw it in your face when you were chewing on that first bite."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously. "I thought I looked pretty convincing." She said with a devious smile.

He smirked and nodded at her. "Well, you did. In fact, I was almost convinced that you really liked it." Then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "But then I saw your right eye..." He said suspiciously. "It was twitching like this." He purposely twitched his right eye in the way Yuriko's eye was twitching while she was eating his sandwich. "It's like you wanted to put on a disgusted look on your face, but you couldn't." He said as he continued to twitch his eye on purpose.

She couldn't help but laugh as she saw his imitation of her. "My right eye wasn't twitching like that!" She said as she pointed at him. "It wasn't!"

He stopped his imitation of her and tilted an eyebrow. "Oh yes it was." He said with a smile as he nodded. Then he sighed and shrugged. "Well, you could have at least told me that you didn't like it right from the start. It could have saved you from the mouthful of pain that you just went through!" He said with a joking tone in his voice. "I mean, you finished your entire half! And me...I don't even have the guts to finish mine." He said, shaking his head with a rather embarrassed smile.

Yuriko smiled and clasped her hands together as she looked at him, as she stared at him. She couldn't deny how young and boyish his blue eyes looked whenever he smiled and laughed with her. And it just wasn't his eyes...everything about him seemed so young to her, so fresh and new, as if she hadn't seen his face for a very long time.

"It's just that...I didn't want to hurt your feelings." She said with a smile as she looked at him. "You looked so happy and so excited while you were making it for me and --- and I didn't want you to feel bad about it." She raised her eyebrows and grinned from ear to ear as she looked at him, waiting for his reaction.

Stryker shook his head from side to side and then he looked at her and heartily laughed. "Yuriko. It's me! It's William! Will!" He said with a huge smile on his face as he patted his chest. "Your best friend! You know you can tell me everything! You always tell me everything!" He laughed and talked and looked at her as if he knew everything about her...like he'd been with her since the beginning.

"You always tell me whenever you like something, or you hate something. Heck, sometimes I could even see what you're thinking just by looking at you. And now you're talking to me like I wasn't the closest friend you've ever had. Well, next to James of course." He said with a smile.

Yuriko just stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face. She couldn't even find the will to move or say a single word. There was something so different and yet so inexplicably familiar with the Stryker who was standing in front of her right now. His voice, his words, the way he talked, the look in his eyes, looked so much like the Stryker in her vision. She felt as if she was standing in front of that exact same young man. She felt like she was standing within her own vision, looking into the eyes of the young Stryker from her past. But she wasn't in her vision now. Everything was real, and so was the man in front of her. What was he talking about? What was going on?

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	50. The man who wasn't there

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

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Chapter 50: The man who wasn't there

He smiled and looked deeply into her eyes. He had never looked at her in that way before. He looked at her as if he knew every facet of her being, every corner of her soul. "Yuriko." He said as he moved closer to her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked curiously, his eyebrows furrowed.

But she didn't respond, she just stood there, staring back at him. She still couldn't understand what was going on. Or perhaps, she didn't want to. Perhaps she didn't want to understand because she didn't want to know the man who was standing right in front of her right now. She was scared to find out who he was because he was so familiar...because she knew that he was the man from her past.

"You're looking at me as if you haven't seen my face everyday for the past nineteen years." Then he smiled and moved closer to her. "What's wrong, Yuriko?" He asked. Then he made a small, humble laugh and gently patted her on the shoulder. "What? You've spent so much time with James that you've forgotten about your 'other' best bud, huh?" He asked in a friendly, joking manner.

Yuriko wanted to move away when she felt his hand against her bare arm. Even his touch felt so familiar...and this familiarity suffocated her. She wasn't ready for this...not yet, not now. She wasn't ready to face the past yet, but now it was staring her in the face. Yes...she recognized him. The man who was standing in front of her right now wasn't the William Stryker who had enslaved her. He wasn't the amnesiac William Stryker who lost his memories either. This William Stryker, this man, was the one from her forgotten past...the friend she once had, in the time when she both had him and Logan by her side.

"Hey! Say something!" He said with a huge smile on his face. "You're just standing there like you've seen a ghost." Then he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her curiously. "Okay, is this some kind of joke? Because you usually don't joke around like this. And that serious, blank look on your face is starting to scare me."

Yuriko opened her mouth, but no words escaped from her lips. She just stared at him dumbfoundedly, still unmoving. She didn't know what to do. Should she talk to him? Should she ask him some questions? She wanted to, but she was scared of what she might unearth. She didn't want to face her past yet. She wasn't ready. What would she even ask him? What should she say to him? Should she ask him about her and Logan? About him and her? About the three of them? That past was practically right in front of her face, and yet she couldn't find the will to face it, to explore it.

Then her lips finally moved. "Who am I?" She asked firmly, as she intensely stared into his eyes. "Who are you, William Stryker? Who is Logan?" The words quickly flew out of her lips as if they were the only words she could speak...as if they were the only thoughts in her mind. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to know.

Then he looked at her with a curious smile on his face, as if he couldn't believe what she had just said. "What?!" He asked, laughing. "Why are you asking these questions? You, James and me have been together for almost two decades. The three of us have been together since the day we've met and we practically know each other more than we know ourselves." He said sarcastically.

"What's up, Yuriko?" He asked with a serious tone in his voice. He moved his face closer to hers and stared deeply into her eyes. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

She looked back into his strong, blue eyes and was entranced by them. Logan had never stared at her in that way before. She loved staring into Logan's eyes, and she loved being in Logan's company, but there were times when she felt so distant from him, as if Logan couldn't see who she really was underneath her mutant powers and adamantium skeleton. But this Stryker, was someone who felt like an old friend...someone who knew her inside out. He looked at her as if he knew how to make her laugh, how to make her cry...his eyes stared at her as if he knew all of her strengths and weaknesses.

Then Stryker's eyes wandered away from her and looked at the windows that lined the outer wall of the kitchen. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw his dimly lit reflection on their glass. Yuriko noticed him staring at his reflection, and she looked into his eyes. She could see his current personality fading away. She could see it in his eyes...he was slipping away, changing...like one season to another...spring to summer, summer to fall.

His eyes stared back into hers, but he seemed like a different person now. Just in that one moment, the Stryker from her past was gone. He had faded back into her distant memory to become a part of the past she had left behind. She couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to hold on to him...hold on to him so that he wouldn't have to go away again. And yet, he was still standing there right in front of her. He may not exactly be the man he was a while ago, but it was still him. It could still be him.

"What --- what were we talking about?" He asked curiously. He seemed so lost and confused. His eyes looked curiously at her, as if she had all the answers to his questions. "This is going to sound odd, but...But I feel as if I...I dozed off." He said with his eyebrows furrowed. Then he confusingly ran his fingers through his peppered hair. He really couldn't understand what had just happened. A couple of minutes ago, he felt like he had fallen into a deep sleep and lived a dream that he now couldn't remember.

Yuriko smiled and looked back at him. She missed the look of familiarity in his eyes. But she had to accept the fact that the past was now gone. Who she saw a while ago was a ghost of who he used to be --- a façade --- a shadow --- someone who lived in her past and who was going to stay there forever. She knew there would be no use in holding on to that shadow...to wish that things and people could exactly be what they used to be. Sometimes, we just have to accept, understand, and explore things as what they were now, and look forward to what they could possibly be in the future.

"It's good to have you back." She said with a smile as she looked at him. She tried to hide her doubts and sadness behind the welcoming warmth of her face, but they continued to glimmer through her dark, almond-shaped eyes.

He grinned as he looked back at her. "What's wrong, Yuriko?" He asked with a worried smile on his face. He noticed the doubt in her eyes...he noticed the hint of sadness that lay behind her smile. "You're looking at me as if I've left...as if I've gone somewhere and that I've just returned." He could sense the intensity in the air as they looked at each other. When he 'fell asleep', he knew something happened, and that's what caused Yuriko to look at him in the way that she was looking at him right now.

Yuriko clenched her hands into tight fists as she looked back at him. A while ago, she met the ghost of Stryker's past. And when he had gone, she told herself to forget about ever talking to him. She wanted to forget ever looking into his eyes, and hearing his voice and feeling his touch. But how could she forget Stryker's younger self, when this present Stryker reminded her so much of him? He used the same words, moved in the same way, and talked to her in the same manner. The only thing different between them was their familiarity with Yuriko...the extent of which they knew her.

She continued to remain unmoving as she looked at him. She just stood there in front of him, staring at him like a video camera that was recording his every move, his every word. And in a way, she was. Yuriko knew that this was her last night with her old friend. Because once she regains her memories, so will he, and then she will lose him forever...she may even have to kill him.

Then the smile on her lips faded. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she looked at her old friend for the last time. She wanted to turn away. She didn't want him to see her cry. She didn't want to appear weak and pathetic in front of her old friend, her old enemy. She wanted him to remember her as a strong woman...a woman who would never falter in times when tears would normally be shed. But at times like this...at times when you're about to lose a dear friend for the second time around, even the strongest people falter, and when they fall, they fall harder.

She stepped closer to him and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. She didn't even say a word. Then she felt her tears slowly running down her cheeks, staining her face with its trails. Some of them trickled from her cheek to his shirt. She tried to hold back her gasps as she cried, but they helplessly escaped her lips

Stryker sighed and looked away. He didn't want to see her like that. He didn't want to look at her and see her face stained with her own tears. He didn't want to remember her that way. He didn't want to see her crying because of him. He had already caused her so much pain in the past, and he didn't want to see her shed more tears for him.

"I'm going to miss you." She whispered. Her tears continued to trail down her cheeks.

But Stryker didn't say a word. He just stood there, looking at the distance. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to comfort her. He couldn't tell her that everything will be all right, that everything will turn out okay, because once he regains his memories, nothing will be all right. He also couldn't tell her that he would miss her too, for he knew that his former self wouldn't. In fact, once he reverts to his former self, his current self will die. None of the past two days would matter. None of it. His life as a mutant-hater will continue on as if he had never spent the night with Yuriko...as if he'd never made friends with Jones, or Kurt or Bobby and Rogue and the professor.

Then his eyes opened wide as he remembered what the professor had told him earlier that day. "There is a way for me...to stay this way for as long as I live." He whispered.


	51. I cannot run away

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

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ROSEMEG = welcome back from Austria =D!!! I hope you had tons of fun =D! Ah, you're so lucky you got to travel =)! Anyway, thanks for dropping by! It's kewl to know that you're still loving the story so far =)!!! You also hit that last chapter's bullseye =D!!! Stryker is now somewhat split into three characters....but as to who/what he'll end up as in the end, will continue to remain a mystery ;). As for Logan, Yuriko and Stryker, I guess this chapter will give you a hint as to who she'll run off with at the end of the night. Thanks again for the review =D!

BEATLE! = LOL!!! I really wish I could erase the Yuriko/Stryker thing, but it now has a mind of its own and is now an essential part of the plot (and of Logan and Yuriko's past). Yuriko and Stryker's pairing seems quite "disturbing" to me too (I can't even believe I wrote it into the story), but I guess it'll make more sense a few chapters from now =)! Heheh...don't worry...the current Y/S session will end soon ;)!

SKETTY24 = I hope you're enjoying your holiday =D!!! Don't worry...the story will be here when you get back ;)!!! Thanks for the review =D!!!

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Chapter 51: I cannot run away

Yuriko's eyes opened wide and she felt her chest tightened when Stryker's words sank into her mind. He could stay? He could stay forever and never leave? She could wake up the day after tomorrow and still see him there? She gently pulled away from him and looked deeply into his eyes. She could see it in his face...he didn't want to leave either.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

"I can stay this way forever, Yuriko. I don't have to go back to the man I used to be." He said as he looked back into her eyes. He knew that Yuriko also wanted his current self to stay. He knew it from the moment she told him that she would miss him. He knew it when he felt her tears trickling on his shirt. "Just imagine, Yuriko...I won't have to leave anymore. I won't have to hurt any mutant anymore. I will finally be able to free myself from my own past." He could feel his own voice shaking as he talked to her. He was yet to reveal the price for this freedom, and he feared it.

Quick breaths escaped from Yuriko's lips as she listened to his words. Of course she wanted to him to stay. He had finally come back after fourteen years of hiding behind his own shadow and she didn't want to let him go...not now when he was finally with her again...not ever. And yet, she couldn't understand why there was fear in his eyes. She couldn't understand why he was looking at her as if the puzzle was not yet complete.

"How?" She whispered. "You said there is a way. What is it?" She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his chest. "Tell me." She said as she looked into his eyes.

Stryker breathed in and looked away, his eyes wandering at the floor. He looked like he was trying to hold back his own tears. "At...at first I didn't want to tell you about this." He said softly. "...because I didn't want to affect your decision about your past. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to force it upon you. I didn't want to make it into another burden that you had to carry...another reason for you to question your own choice. I wanted you to make up your own mind without me telling you what to do."

Then he looked at her, his eyes filled with empty hope. "I also didn't tell you because I thought you would never care whether I stay or leave. I also thought that it wouldn't matter because I thought I had no reason to stay this way, but now it does. It does matter, Yuriko." His hands shot forward and he held her firmly by her upper arms. "Because I do want to remain like this. I'd do anything to stay like this forever."

Yuriko's eyes widened as she looked back at him. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as her wide eyes bore deeply into his. His words hit her hard, and his words also made her realize the price that she had to pay for his freedom. Yes, she had to let go of her past, in order for him to let go of his. That was the price, and now she could feel her own doubts and her own fears drowning her as she looked at him. Why did she have to find out about this now? Who now, when she was only one night's sleep away from the past that she had longed for? Why did she have to come face to face with another factor that will make her doubt the decision that she had made?

"When I talked with the professor today, he told me that he can completely erase all of my past's memories. Then the only memories I will have are those of the past two days...beginning from the moment when you found me by the lake...that moment when I opened my eyes and saw you looking down at me. I want you to be the first thing that I remember in this life." He said as he looked into her eyes, begging for her to listen to his plea. He could feel himself uncontrollably gripping her arms harder.

Yuriko could feel her tears wanting to break out of her eyes again. She slightly shook her head from side to side as she listened to his pleading words, as she looked at his begging eyes. He was practically begging for her to let him go of his past. But she didn't want to listen anymore. She didn't even know what to do anymore.

"But the professor can only erase my memories now, while I still haven't regained my past. He can only wipe them from my mind while those memories are still in the recessive part of my brain. But...but you know what that means, don't you? If he erases all of my past memories then...then you..." He could feel his fingers wrapping around her arms tighter as his eyes stared intensely into hers. "...you...you won't be able to remember all of your past...never again". "But you'll have me." He whispered.

Yuriko wanted to free herself from his grip. She wanted to pull away from him and never see him again until tomorrow, when they were finally in the procedure. She didn't want to stare into his blue eyes and hear another word from his lips and feel his touch again. She wanted to escape from him. Why? Was it because deep inside, she really would give up her past so that he could stay the way he was?

She shook her head from side to side as tears started to run down her smooth, tanned cheeks. "No, please, William. Don't do this to me. Please don't." She begged, in between her gasps. She could barely move her body as he gripped her arms.

"Think about it, Yuriko. You wanted me to stay and now I can. I know you want me to stay. I know you do." He said firmly, trying to hold back his own tears. He could see the pain in her eyes as she cried in front of him. He knew his words were hurting her, tugging at her heart, tearing it into two pieces, but it was the only for him to reach out to her...to hear his side of the story...his side of the bargain.

"Then we could run away." He whispered. And those words hit Yuriko hard. "We could just forget our own pasts and live new lives. We could get out of here and live the lives that we want to live. You don't even have to be a mutant anymore, Yuriko. You can finally live your life as a normal human being. Think about it. You can just forget about your mutant powers and you'll never have to unsheathe your claws again. You don't have to fight anymore. You don't have to spill someone's blood for the rest of your life. We can just wake up everyday, eat breakfast, read the morning paper, and walk the dog. Then every night we could ask each other how our days went." He said, forcing a faint smile upon his face. "I know you want that, Yuriko. I know you do. I know it's what you've always wanted...escape. You want to escape."

Yuriko couldn't hold back her tears and her sobs as his words entered her ears. She would do anything to deafen herself at the moment...to block out the words that he had spoken. She didn't want to hear him anymore. She didn't want to hear the truth behind his words and see the sincerity in his eyes. And he did speak the truth. She did want to live such a life. She wanted to escape her past and live life anew...live the life that she knew she deserved after fourteen years of pain.

"Please, stop." She cried as she tried to get away from his grip. But no matter how much she tried...no matter how much she forced herself to move away, she couldn't. Perhaps it was because she did want to give in to him and embrace the future that he had told her.

"And I'll stay by your side." He said firmly. "I'll live by your side for the rest of my days and I promise that I'll make you happy. I'll give you the freedom and the life and the happiness that Logan could never give you. I'll make you happy, Yuriko."

"Why are you telling me all this, William?!" She cried out, her voice filling the kitchen. Her tears continued to stream down her cheeks and her chin like fading waterfalls. "You barely even know me, and now you speak as if you're willing to give your life to me!" She shouted. She reached out and clutched the chest of his shirt. "You're living in an illusion, William! You're just saying all this because you want to escape from your own past! You don't need me! You're just trying to save yourself." She shouted as she continued to clutch on his shirt. "You don't even know who I am." She said softly.

Stryker looked deeply into her eyes, then he moved his hands away from her arms and he gently cupped her cheeks. "But I have the rest of my life to find out who you really are."

Yuriko cried out and she pulled away from him. She had to get away from him. When she heard him speak those words, there was a split-second when she almost said yes to his picture perfect future. She almost became a part of his picture perfect painting.

"Please stop!!!" She begged again. "I don't want to hear any more of this!!!" She shouted. She took another step away from him. "William, please. Don't give me a reason to be angry at myself for choosing the path that I had chosen."

He took a step towards her and tried to reach out for her. "How about me? How about my future? My choices?! Do you think I want to go back to the way I was? You think I want to turn back into 'that' man and start hurting everyone again?! You think that's going to make me happy?! Huh? Huh?!" He shouted.

She took another step away from him and felt her back against the kitchen counter. "You talk as if I have the power to choose and have whatever I want! You talk as if all of my choices are on my favor! Well, you know what? My life isn't perfect either!" She shouted at him. "I also have to pay the price to have the things that I want! I also have to give up something in order to earn something in return! I also have to lose what I want in order to have what I need! So don't tell me that my world and my choices only revolve around me alone! You have no right to tell me that! You have no right!" She said as she pointed at him.

Then she clenched her hands into tight fists as she stared back into his eyes. "And you, William...you are someone that I want...I do want you...I do. But my past...it is something that I need." She said as she looked back into his sad, blue eyes. "I need my past and I won't let anyone and anything stand in my way. Not even you." She wanted to make her point. She wanted to tell him that nothing would change her mind.

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	52. Last Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters. Title: Unforgivable Sinners 

By: Cmdr. Gabe E.

Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .

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Chapter 52: Last Goodbye

She had made her decision and she would never falter. She took him with her and they traveled to the mansion so that she could regain her past, and that's what she was going to do. And yet, something unexpected happened...she was reunited with a very old friend, and now she was going to lose him again. Why couldn't she have everything she wanted for a change? Why couldn't she have everything without losing something?

Stryker stepped towards her, trapping her between him and the kitchen counter. Then he moved his hand to her face and gently ran his fingers down her cheek. He looked deep into her eyes, trying to see if there was still a part of her that would listen to him...a part of her that still wanted to run away with him. But he found none. She was like wall without any holes, a glass without any cracks, a building with a strong foundation.

"You're right." He whispered as he gently caressed her cheek. "I'm just a pebble in your path." He said firmly. "And now you've decided to kick me off the road to clear it of any obstacles." He gasped and tightened his jaw as he tried to hold back his tears.

Yuriko's tears continued to flow down her cheeks as his words sank deep into her being. She couldn't deny the truth behind what he had just said. He had finally come back to her, but she just pushed him away...she kicked the pebble of the road and it landed on a patch of grass where it couldn't make its way back to her. And tomorrow, once they both regain their memories, he truly will be lost forever, never to find the path back to her side ever again. He will once again fade into distant memory as he had done before.

He moved his face closer to hers while his hand remained on her cheek. "But now, while you still haven't reached the end of your road. I beg you..." He could feel his voice shaking. "...to go back to where you had kicked me off your path, and I want you to pick me up, and take me with you until the end. I know it's going to hurt to see you cross the finish line without me, but at least I get to see you through it all. You could at least give me that privilege...to be with you while I'm still like this."

Quick breaths escaped from Yuriko's lips as she tried to hold back her tears. His face was now only inches away from hers as she looked back into his sad, blue eyes. He looked like he was still waiting for her to reconsider. He stared at her, still looking for a glimmer of hope that she would change her mind about tomorrow. But she just stood there, staring back at him with cold, blank eyes. She would never falter.

Then she reached out and gently ran her fingers from the bridge of his nose, down to his lips and then to his bearded chin. But before she let him go, she wanted to touch his face again and remember him as he was now. This was the last time she was ever going to see him this close. This was the last time she was going to stare into the youthful eyes of the old friend she once had and she wanted to remember everything.

Then Yuriko's eyes suddenly opened wide with shock as she caught sight of Logan standing in the kitchen's doorway. How long had he been there?

Stryker furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the surprised look in Yuriko's eyes. Then he looked behind him and saw Logan standing in the doorway. He looked at Yuriko again and felt his heart torn from his chest when he saw the way she was looking at Logan. She looked at Logan as if he was her savior. She looked at Logan as if he wasn't even there, standing in between the two of them. In that moment, she looked as if the only thing she could see was Logan. And as for him, he was just a transparent ghost to her now...someone who she would rather forget.

Yuriko quickly pushed Stryker aside then she ran towards Logan. "Logan!" She cried out. She yearned for nothing but to feel herself so close to him again.

Then she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She held him so close as if she didn't want to let him go. She held him as if she hadn't been with him for an entire lifetime. She missed him so much and she didn't want to be away from him again. Then she felt his arms wrap around her, holding her firmly but gently against him. And she realized how truly comfortable, how safe and warm she felt in his arms...those same arms that held her so close in her vision.

In a way, Logan had saved her again. His arrival had saved her from Stryker. His arrival had saved her from her own self-doubts and her own fears. Being in his arms again assured her that the decision she had made was the right one. Because even after she regains her past, Logan will still be there by her side. He was still going to be there to comfort her and help her live a new life, because he understood her. He was the only person in the world who could ever understand her, for they were the same. Both of them were carved out of the same tree and plucked from the same vine. They were meant to be together, right from the beginning, until the very end...until the time when they would be the only ones left standing. Yes, she belonged with him and he belonged with her.

Stryker's eyes were filled with hopelessness and suffering as he watched the two of them in each other's arms. He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw as he held back his own tears. He could still feel how Yuriko had pushed him away in order to run into Logan's arms. He could still see how he faded from her eyes when she saw Logan standing by the doorway. It's like she had forgotten everything they had been through that night, the brief friendship they had, when she saw Logan. Then he breathed in and looked away. To see them like that would only cause him so much pain. And what hurt more was the fact that he almost had Yuriko. He almost had her, but then she slipped away. But it didn't end there...she also pushed him aside like an unwanted thing.

"She doesn't need you anymore, Stryker." Logan said coldly as he looked at the older man. "And your words are the last thing she needs." His arms remained wrapped around Yuriko. He wanted to protect her from Stryker. "She has her own mind and she can make her own decisions. She's not yours anymore and she will never be again."

Logan's eyes angrily looked at him. His words hit Stryker hard, digging and etching each of their syllables deep into the old man's soul. "She doesn't need you whispering into her ear so that she could move and talk like the wind-up doll that you want her to be. She doesn't need the devil's advocate breathing down her neck, telling her what to do." He said through clenched teeth.

Yuriko moved her head to the side and saw Stryker from the corner of her eye. He was helplessly leaning against the kitchen counter like a warrior who had fallen in battle. He looked like he was in so much pain and she could feel it. She could see the sadness in his eyes and the hopeless look on his face. He had accepted his defeat and she knew it. He just remained standing there, looking at her as he accepted each and every one of Logan's words. And they hit him hard like bullets blazing in a battlefield.

She could see him trying to hold back his tears as he listened to those words...as he listened to each and every one of them. But he didn't walk away...he didn't run away like a cowardly soldier who wanted to die in the safety of his own camp. Stryker preferred to stay in the battlefield and face those bullets head on. He wanted to stay there and look at her for as long as he could, even if she was in the arms of his nemesis.

"If you ever even 'think' of controlling her again, then I swear I'll kill you." Logan said, his voice shaking with so much anger. "And when that happens, no one will be able to stop me...not her, or the professor, or anyone. Not even God...for God has no right to intrude in the fights of us devils." His eyes continued to pierce through Stryker's soul as he talked. "And I will make you suffer." He said firmly. "I will." He spoke as if his words had been etched on stone.

Yuriko looked up to Logan and saw the anger in his eyes as he glared at Stryker. "Logan, let's go." She said softly. Her eyes continued to stare at Logan's face. And as she looked at him, she noticed a hint of intense jealousy in his enraged eyes. He looked at Stryker as if Stryker had stolen something from him...had used something of his without his permission. "Logan, please. Let's just go. I'm...I'm tired." She said with a pleading tone in her voice. She wanted to rest. She just wanted to get everything over with.

In a way, she also wanted to escape from Stryker. She didn't want to see his face or talk to him again, because she knew that none of it would matter in the near future. She wanted to forget ever spending the night with him. She wanted to forget how she laughed with him and the way he smiled at her and how he caught her right when she was about to fall.

In fact, she wanted to forget that they were once good friends. After all, that past was gone. And even if he was there right now, at that moment, looking at her, wishing that he could stay, he would soon go away as he had done before. And once he leaves, this time, he won't be coming back.

Logan threw Stryker one last angry stare, then he looked down at Yuriko. His eyes looked at her lovingly as he stared at her face. He could see the tear stains on her smooth cheeks that were proof that she had just cried. And seeing her like that brought a pang of pain in his heart. He wished he could have been there sooner so that he could have saved her from those tears. Why did he always arrive after the pain had been dealt?

"Okay. We'll go." He said firmly as he looked at her. "You can stay with me in my room tonight." Then he glanced at Stryker, his eyes suddenly filled with fury. "I don't think you'll be safe if you spend the night with that monster."

Yuriko suddenly had the urge to look back. She suddenly felt the need to look behind her and see Stryker's face again...to see him again for the last time. But she had made a decision to never look at him as long as he was his current self. She wouldn't even dare glance at him. Because if she did, she would only be fooling and hurting herself...she would be looking at something she could never have. After all, she would inevitably see him again in the near future once all of this was over. Though the next time they meet, he would be a different person. Gone would be the friend she knew.

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	53. Author's note about 'sequelcontinuation'

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey there =D!!! I actually decided to continue "Unforgivable Sinners" in another 'story' titled "Unforgivable Sinners 2 The Past Never Forgets". I have a feeling that this story might reach more than 60 to 70 chapters, so I decided to create a new story to post the new chapters in =)! In fact, US2 starts with Chapter 53 (where we left off in this one).

I really hope this decision is okay with everybody =)! Don't worry...it won't change anything in the plot, or the length of the story for that matter ;)! Thanks for reading =D!!!


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